Chapter 9: Revenge
Mewtwo awoke to the smell of cooking and coffee. While he wasn't a fan of bacon, coffee would be welcome. His head, predictably was aching, now joined by the many small pains in his back and leg. The Pokemon opened his eyes to find himself in a small but cozy room with wood paneled walls. A window beside the bed revealed a forest outside. His wounded leg had been bandaged and cleaned of blood, and on a small nightstand sat a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.
Two lit one and breathed in the bitter smoke. His headache faded as did the pains down his back and leg. His heart felt heavy with memories of the League Finals, of the Other, her cries for help and his ultimate inability to save her. This regret could only be matched by the image burned into his mind of Bill flying backward into the concrete podium at the height of his grief. Bill had done nothing to deserve that, and it felt like a dagger in Mewtwos heart.
He finished the cigarette, then swung his legs off the bed and approached the door. Two stepped into a short hall and followed the smells of breakfast to a small kitchen-dining room. Jesse sat at the table, a mug at her side and a roll of papers spread out before her. Sitting in another chair on top of a pile of books was a Meowth, happily chomping down on some bacon.
Jesse looked up as Mewtwo pulled up a chair for himself and sat. "Good Morning, I was wondering when you would wake up."
Two closed his eyes and levitated a mug from the counter, added his sugar and poured the coffee from the pot then brought it over to him. All that and not even a nosebleed. "Where are we?"
"My safe house near Mt. Moon," she sipped her coffee, then studied the papers before her again.
Mewtwo noticed his headset on the table at her side, and only then directed his attention to the papers. "Hey, are those schematics for my headset?"
"Indeed they are," she answered with a smile. "I liberated them from Oak's lab. But I can't claim all the credit. Meowth helped."
"Ah, alls I did was open a windah," the Meowth said.
"From the inside, after you snuck in."
Meowth shrugged. "No one evah thinks a Pokemon can do bad. But we know bettah," he winked at Mewtwo.
Mewtwo sipped his coffee, then pulled his headset over along with the schematics. "Thank you for your help Jesse, but I've got it from here. I don't want to drag anyone else into this mess with me."
"Oh no you don't," she pulled the schematics back across the table, closer to her. "We do this together or not at all."
"Jesse, you don't understand," Mewtwo took hold of the papers again, and Jesse took an equal grip on the opposite side. "I cannot ask you to accompany me. This is my fight, and I've been foolish to not have embraced it sooner. I don't want anyone else that I've come to care for hurt again."
"You can't do that by pushing everyone away," she tugged harder, but the pokemon was not giving up. "Besides, you don't even know how to get in, or the layout inside the compound."
"I'll figure it out as I go," Mewtwo pulled again and stopped when the paper began to rip.
Jesse let go and sighed. "You are strong, but they are stronger. You can't do this alone Two. Giovanni already knows that we will be coming. After the fiasco at the League Finals, I think he can draw his own conclusions. One added benefit is that further scrutiny has been placed on the Pokemon trading system, so he won't be able to move his collection as soon as he would like, but he will still try to move it. We need to act fast. If not tonight, then tomorrow. Even with your headset, how many bullets do you think you can stop?"
"As many as I need to," Mewtwo growled.
Jesse sipped her coffee again. "You won't be the only Mewtwo there. The entire compound was created to breed, clone and train Mewtwos in an effort to create a perfect and loyal specimen. There will be some there that will fight you to earn their trainers favor. You have yet to battle one of your own species, and I can tell you from my experience, that you will lose."
Those were sobering words, and Mewtwo fell silent.
"But the two of us, we stand a chance. If you watch my back, I will watch yours. Please Mewtwo."
Slowly Mewtwo raised his head and nodded. Meowth remained silent, munching away on his bacon. "Alright." Mewtwo pulled the schematics back over and collected his headset. "I had always wondered what it would be like if this device had more power."
Jesse smiled. "There are two inhibitors, here and here," she pointed. "Its perfectly possible."
Despite the circumstances, Mewtwo smiled. "Hand me that screwdriver."
Late that evening, with superpotion drying on his leg and a newly-lit cigarette in his hand, Mewtwo climbed aboard the motorcycle behind Jesse. Meowth waited in the window of the cabin, waving goodbye. "You guys have fun, I'll be here taking care of the place as usual. Try not to get too beat up."
Jesse chuckled despite the knowledge that their mission could go wrong. She started the bike, then started down a trail through the trees. "Now just to be sure both of us are on the same page, repeat the plan to me."
Mewtwo leaned in closer and activated the headset. We approach the west gate and take out the guards. From there we set the security cameras on a test cycle and move through the compound as the cameras shut down and reboot. Our objective is on the fourth sublevel.
"And if we become separated?"
Continue as planned.
Jesse guided the bike onto a utility road and went cruising at full speed through the trees. "Remember to use your headset sparingly. There are several locations that serve as psychic suppression points. If you try to use your powers there, you will pass out, or burn-out your headset, possibly both."
They rode the rest of the way in silence, each lost in their own thoughts and meditations. The sun sank lower in the sky, pulling the shadows of the trees longer and thicker until they merged into one thick blanket. Jesse pulled out a pair of night vision goggles and drove while wearing them instead of using the headlights on the bike. She finally pulled the bike to a halt about a mile from their target. Mewtwo stepped off after her.
He couldn't see the compound from here, but the smell in the air along with accompanying heavy silence made him cautious. Jesse rolled the bike closer to a cluster of rocks and scrub, then began to pile bits of deadfall to cover it. "Now all that remains is to hide our tracks."
"I've got it," Mewtwo raised his hand and created a light gust at his finger tips. The small dirt-devil jumped from his palm and down the way they had come, disturbing the dirt and scattering leaves as it went.
"Hmm, neat trick, wish I had thought of it," Jesse tossed the last log into place, then adjusted her boots. The bottoms had been worn smooth so they left no obvious sign of her passing. Mewtwo followed her through the trees, careful to not make any noise or to use his psychic powers. Jesse had told him that the lab was always on the look-out for escapees, and his psychic signature would light up their external security systems.
They moved slowly and methodically for what felt like hours before catching sight of the compound through the trees. From this point it looked the same as any other office building. Compact three story buildings, large expanses of asphalt for parking and one marked as a helicopter landing pad. A concrete and wooden sign marked it as "Woodland Labs" near what Mewtwo assumed was the west gate. There was a small guard house along with several security cameras.
Even though this property seemed normal, there were things that just seemed off. Vehicles that looked like they belonged on a battlefield instead of parked at an office, dark shadows moving along the rooftops, and heavier than normal locks on the doors.
Jesse and Mewtwo approached one huge expanse of parking lot and paused at the tree-line. There was no way they could cross and not be seen, likewise Mewtwo couldn't use his powers to just fly over there either. With no cover and security cameras all around, there was no chance they were going to be able to sneak in.
"Well, glad I brought this along," Jesse reached into her pocket and pulled out a small glass vial filled with blue powder. "Sleep Powder, in its most concentrated form," she gave the vial to Mewtwo. "I'm going to lure the guard outside, think you can do that little Gust trick again?"
Mewtwo nodded. Gust was a wind attack, and didn't require any psychic manipulation. Jesse collected up a few small pebbles, then lobbed them at the guard house. The guard, predictably stepped outside to investigate and Mewtwo sent the little dust-devil on its way with a load of Sleep Powder. The guard looked around, searching the edge of the trees with his flashlight, then took two steps back to the guardhouse and fell to the ground.
Jesse left her hiding place and ran across the lot, grabbing the guard by his shoulders and dragging him back into the guardhouse. Once inside she began shutting down various security systems then gave Mewtwo the all clear signal. Mewtwo also left his hiding place and ran for the guardhouse. He slid inside not a moment before the roof sentries returned to their part of the patrol. Jesse tied up the guard and relived him of his gun, then began a systematic reboot cycle of the security cameras. "If we stick to the plan, the camera's will be in shutdown mode as we move through."
Mewtwo nodded, still a little uneasy around the firearm, but willing to trust her for the moment. "How do we get in?"
"There is an exit over there. It will lead us to a stairwell that we can then take to an upper level and then down to the sub-levels. Remember, most if not all of the halls have sensors to detect psychic powers. Use them only as a last resort. Some of the higher security areas have feedback suppressant systems," Jesse said. "There really is no way to tell which is which though, so be careful."
Once again Mewtwo nodded, then waited with Jesse as the the rooftop guards went on their way. As one they slipped out of the guardhouse and across another smaller parking lot to the main building. They passed a few bushes and Jesse paused at a plain metal door with a simple turn-knob on it. Above the door was a security camera that showed no signs of activation. Jesse pulled her backpack aside and pulled a small black hockeypuck-like device from it.
"Keep back," she attached the device to a place just above the doorknob and then ducked behind a bush. The device beeped once and then began to smoke. The door then swung open slowly.
"What was that?" Mewtwo whispered.
"In Team Rocket we called them 'knock-knocks' they fry the circuits in almost any door. I asked you to keep back because I wasn't sure the door itself wasn't booby-trapped," Jesse opened the door and slipped inside along with Mewtwo. As she shut the door behind them, the security camera came to life again.
As she had said, they scaled the steps before them, climbing to an upper level where Jesse used another knock-knock on the door there. They emerged into a hall with darkened offices to either side and one lone Team Rocket Agent on security detail. With only a thought, Mewtwo grabbed the man from behind, his hand covering the Agents mouth while his other slipped around his waist and his tail bound the mans legs. Jesse pulled out another vial of Sleep Powder and waved it under the Agents nose. Once again she tied her victim up and left him in one of the offices.
"Got his pass card, good. I can save my knock-knocks," she continued confidently up the hall. "Where did you learn to restrain someone like that?"
Mewtwo shrugged. "Not the first time I've had to deal with an uninvited guest."
"Good to know," she stepped into a smaller hall where there were three elevators. Using the pass card she opened the one on the far wall and they stepped inside. Mewtwo noted another security camera, but before he could cut the cable, Jesse stopped him. "Tamper with one and they all go off," she pulled her bag aside again and pulled out some lipstick. Mewtwo chuckled as she then colored in the lens of the camera.
Once again using the pass card, Jesse opened a secret panel on the elevator, showing seven more sub-levels. She then read a sequence of numbers from a card Doc had given her at the bar and began to tap them into the side panel.
"How long have you been planning this?"
"Too long," Jesse hit the enter key and they held their breaths.
Accept.
Jesse and Mewtwo let out a shared sigh and the elevator began to travel downward. Mewtwo waited tense moments before asking, "What happens when this door opens?"
"Then the real challenge begins. The sub-levels are a maze and can change as the need arises. The door should open into another hall. Avoid the labs. We are looking for storage bays 7P and 9Q," Jesse closed her eyes, as if seeing their destination in her minds eye. "Our inside contact will have shut down the suppression grid in those areas so we can work."
The elevator stopped and Jesse raised her gun. Mewtwo, at a loss for what he could do, stood behind her. The door slid open and there was only a dimly-lit gray hallway beyond. The floor was rough concrete, and the walls were some kind of heavy-plastic material that had the look of metal. There was no decoration, or maps of any kind. It was as cold and inhospitable as a military bunker.
As soon as Mewtwo stepped off the elevator, he felt it. A greasy kind of suppression that made his teeth ache and his head hurt. His thoughts felt small and slippery, like drops of water in a tin can. He paused for a moment, gaining his bearings.
"You feel it? The suppression system?"
Mewtwo nodded, then followed after her. What had been a simple hall before was now a strange twisted corridor. He began to grow steadily more confused. Colors began to invert in his vision. The gray walls were now shades of pink and red. His muscles became weak the more he pressed on.
"Come on Two, I know how you feel, but hold my hand and we will make it," Jesse reached out and looped her arm over his shoulders and led him onward. She was right, the more he moved, the more his vision began to clear and his headache faded.
"How many more of those are down here?"
"They're all over the place," Jesse suddenly dropped to one knee behind Mewtwo as a few agents came around the corner down the hall, leaving Mewtwo exposed and leaning on the wall.
"Escapee!" shouted one, but before she could reach for her radio, Jesse fired from behind Mewtwo, then girl fell, clutching her leg. Her companion turned to run and Jesse fired again, hitting him in the back.
It was all over so quickly, that Mewtwo barely had time to register that anything had happened. Jesse jumped from behind his back and ran down the hall. Mewtwo half stumbled after her, but paused when she stopped over the whimpering form the of the girl.
Jesse cooly raised her firearm and put a bullet between the Agents eyes.
Mewtwo stood frozen to the spot, watching the girls blood flow across the gray floor. "Why? Why did you do that?" he looked to Jesse.
"Would you rather I let her go to tell the others?"
"No, but...you didn't have to kill her!"
"She would have done the same to us Mewtwo. This girl has personally slain many of your kind. This is no longer the friendly world of Pokemon battles. Down here its kill or be killed. Now come on."
Mewtwo shivered. Is this the kind of sacrifice that Mew had meant? Mewtwo had always been ready to die to protect the ones he loved, but was he ready to kill for them too?
"Lets go," Jesse insisted.
Slowly Mewtwo raised one foot and then the other, and began to follow Jesse. He glanced over his shoulder at the body on the floor. Nameless, faceless and dead. Just as the other had been at the Finals. He turned and began a full hopping run after Jesse. If Team Rocket had been unsure there had been a break-in, their suspicions were confirmed now.
Mewtwo couldn't keep track of all the twists and turns. There were only the same gray halls and occasional bouts of mental distortion to mark the passage of distance and time. During their run, Jesse had killed two others before tossing the empty gun away. They had climbed up and down numerous flights of steps and along more corridors before finally finding themselves before a large vault-like door with "7P" stenciled on.
Jesse took out another of her knock-knocks and placed it on the large vault handle, then ducked back and to the side. Mewtwo did likewise on the opposite side of the door. The knock-knock beeped, then began to smoke. Jesse cursed and removed another one.
"Wait, I can get this," Mewtwo stood before the door and extended his arm.
"Mewtwo wait, it might be too soon," Jesse warned.
"I don't feel a suppression system here. I can do this," Mewtwo used the headset to magnify his power. He could feel every tumbler and bolt within the door as if he had rested his hand on them himself. With just the barest of psychic impulses, he turned the tumblers and bars into position, then pulled the door open. Jesse stood as the door swung open and gasped despite herself.
The room beyond was immense. Tall pillars held up the ceiling and stretched as far as Mewtwo could see. The floor was made of the same gray concrete, and everywhere shelves were loaded with every variety of Pokeball. The shelves were labeled by type with rarer ones locked in glass security cases. There were acres of Pikachus and Onyx, a whole stable of Clefairy, and an entire section dedicated to Shiny types. "There must be...hundreds of thousands...if not millions in this room alone," Mewtwo gasped.
"Well, now we start on making a dent in it," Jesse turned and pulled the huge vault door shut, then turned the massive wheel to lock all the tumblers back in place. "We're right in Hollidays time frame. The suppression system is down so lets make her sacrifice worth it."
"Right," Mewtwo nodded then approached the first shelf. He turned up his headset and hit a special toggle on the left side that he and Jesse had installed earlier. It helped with his teleportation abilities, and was programmed with a shortcut that defaulted to Oaks Ranch. Jesse pulled out a roll of trash bags from her backpack and began running down the line, filling them as she went and leaving them in the aisle.
Mewtwo began teleporting batches away, along with the occasional bag that he came across. Entire shelves vanished, bolts and all, before him, but there were still so many. He couldn't do this alone. He hopped down the aisles and located a shelf filled with Alakazams. Mewtwo activated the Pokeballs and was soon joined by five of the most powerful he could find. It didn't take much to fill them in on the plan, and soon even more shelves began vanishing as they went separate ways.A few more Pokemon joined the mix, assigned to help Jesse or Mewtwo in collecting and teleporting the Pokeballs away.
They were able to work undisturbed for fifteen minutes before the vault door exploded inward. Team Rocket agents then flooded the room, shooting off canisters of tear-gas and other elements designed to cause confusion. Mewtwo had lost sight of Jesse, but still continued to find her bags as he cleared shelves. Distantly he heard gun fire on the opposite side of the room and a psychic grunt as one of the Alakazams went down. Jesse had been right, they had no reservations about killing pokemon, so why should he have any second thoughts about killing them?
Mewtwo overturned a nearby shelf, spilling a few pokeballs across the floor. Several fire-types broke free of their prisons and Mewtwo entered their minds with a thought. He ordered them to keep the humans away and to protect the other Pokemon. It didn't take any brainwashing or fancy tricks to convince them, the Pokemon knew what was at stake and rushed in. A Typhlosion even overturned a shelf of his own to free up more Pokemon for the coming battle.
With the new players in the field, the sound of gunshots and human voices intensified, as did the roars and calls of many angry and frightened Pokemon. Mewtwo kept low, coughing from the smoke and looking for Jesse. He found one of her trash bags filled with Pokeballs and extended his power to teleport it away. Instantly he felt the full fury of the psychic suppression system. All the power he had used came slamming back into his mind, causing him to cough and stumble away. Once again he was powerless, but as Bill and Sabrina had been telling him all this time, powerless did not mean helpless.
Another gas canister landed nearby, and Mewtwo kicked it away, coughing and seeking cover away from the bullets flying overhead. More and Pokemon began to fill the room as Pokeballs opened. As much as Mewtwo had wanted to help, they were on their own now. He watched dim shapes through the smoke gather bags of Pokeballs and begin to run with them.
"Jesse!" Mewtwo called out above the chaos. He came out of hiding and covered his mouth. The room now had no landmarks he could navigate, only overturned shelves, unforgiving pillars and thick smoke. "Jess!"
There was a sudden and all-too-familiar click by his ear. Mewtwo froze in place as the warm muzzle of a gun rested against his temple. "Jesse is no longer your concern."
The smoke lifted for a moment, like a funeral shroud, revealing Giovanni with Jesse unconscious at his side. The Leader of Team Rocket removed his gas mask and just like that, the gunshots and chaos ended abruptly. The smoke cleared in patches exposing the bodies of the Pokemon that had fought, as well as a few Team Rocket agents they had taken to the afterlife with them. Mewtwo drew some small satisfaction that there were not as many Pokeballs in the room any longer. He wondered how many were able to escape before the suppression field had turned on.
"You've made a lovely mess of my collection. And I see that my wonderful ex-wife helped to make it all possible. But your efforts fall far too short, much too late," Giovanni took a step back, Mewtwo still in his sights at point-blank range. "In the end, its fortunate that you have come to me, it has saved me the trouble of going to Saffron and holding that pathetic Gym Leader and her Expert boyfriend hostage. Accept your fate as all the others have."
Mewtwo had never felt so exposed. The psychic suppression system was in full effect now. He could feel its greasy tang smeared over his mind. Mewtwo was had. There was no way he was going to escape from this one. He could turn and run, or he could attempt to take Giovanni. The Team Rocket Leader seemed to read the small flickers of calculation in Mewtwos eye and didn't take the chance.
Giovanni fired. The shot sounded deafening in the sudden silence of the room. Mewtwo turned to advance on Giovanni, when his headset exploded. The Pokemon's head snapped backward in a shower of blood. Mewtwo took a half-step then dropped to the floor. Giovanni slipped his gun back in its holster then heaved Jesse up onto his shoulder.
"Clean up this mess."
Sabrina opened the door to their Saffron home, then carried in a load of groceries. Bill was a step behind her with the rest. It was early in the morning, and neither could sleep well. They were quiet as they went to the kitchen to drop their purchases on the counter top, each lost in their own thoughts.
"Go sit down love," Bill leaned in close to Sabrina, and gave her a little kiss on the cheek.
"I'm fine hon. I should be asking the same of you. How is your head this morning?" Sabrina began unpacking the bags.
"Its fine," he stood beside her, in silence once more as then unpacked the bags, putting away the food in appropriate cabinets and shelves in the fridge. Bill paused when he removed a bag of snap peas from the bag before him. Snap peas were one of Twos favorite foods. They were something that Sabrina always kept in the home in case Two wanted them. It had been three days since he had disappeared from the Finals.
Bill has escaped with a minor head injury. A bit of swelling, nothing more. He felt guilty for not telling Sabrina what he and Two had been planning with Jesse, and his wife was none to happy when he did finally come clean. The Finals had pressed on, and Professor Oak had returned to his home with the body of the female mewtwo. Neither he or Sabrina had heard from him since.
Bill put the bag of snap peas in the fridge, and finished up with the rest of the groceries. Sabrina was already making a pot of coffee. Overcome with a sudden sense of melancholy, Bill embraced his wife from behind. They shared another moment in silence before parting.
Sabrina removed three mugs from the cabinet, and Bill didn't bother to correct her. Two would be back. Both of them knew it. They couldn't get down over his absence, both of them knew in their heart of hearts that he would return.
Mewtwo wasn't dead. He knew that. He thought that he had died. He remembered the gunshot, and his body growing weak, he remembered being unable to move. But my some chance or twist of fate, the bullet had hit his headset, distorting its trajectory just enough to graze his skull. His ripped skin bleed like a beast, but he was alive, stunned, but alive.
The Rocket Agents had grabbed him by his legs and tail and began to drag him across the floor and toward a chute that had opened in the floor. His body, along with the bodies of the other slain Pokemon were dragged toward the chute. Like so much meat they were tossed and pushed over the edge. Mewtwo began falling. His mind and senses flared to life again, almost painfully as he left the psychic suppression field. He hit the sides of the chute, tumbling end over end until instincts took over and he used a bit of his psychic power to steady himself in the air.
He slammed into a meaty pile in the dark, then tucked his knees in, covered his head with his hands and wrapped his tail protectively around himself. The bodies of the other Pokemon rained down around him. Mewtwo winced at every impact, almost jumping when a large weight slammed into him. Then all was dark and silence.
Mewtwo breathed heavily, his arms and legs tight in the darkness. Very slowly he relaxed his limbs, the sensation of movement returning was almost painful. He couldn't remember the last time he was in such stark blackness. Slowly he rolled over to his stomach, the cooling body of the unfortunate Alakazam shifted from his back and fell to his side. He was surrounded by the dead, and he struggled to keep that thought from his mind. Mewtwo reached out to determine the dimensions of his prison.
His hand settled on another and he heard a light gasp. The hand was cold and firm, and had three fingers. Mewtwo let go, his hands began to shake as he started to crawl. His fingers and palms rested on more cold softly furred flesh. The familiar swell of hips and legs, hard bone of thin arms, the leathery feel of feet. Mewtwo froze when his hand rested on the gently curve of a cheek. He felt sunken eyes and hard yet long ears at the crown of the head, and a slight muzzle.
Another mewtwo.
Unbidden, a sob came from Mewtwo's throat. This was only one body, there were others, so many others. Each one a mewtwo. Sobs of sorrow and even fear filled the still air around him. Finally his hands felt the cool metal wall of the chute and he struggled to pull himself up to his feet. His footing was unsure atop the pile of bodies, his two-toed feet searched for purchase on the waxy cold flesh. Slowly he traveled around the exterior of the chute until his hip hit a protrusion from the wall.
His hands explored the strange piece of metal, and he felt his spirits rise when he determined that it was a door handle. Using the last of his strength, Mewtwo pulled the handle and the door opened outward. He stumbled into a room, almost blindingly bright compared to the darkness of the chute. Closing his eyes, Mewtwo closed the door, not wanting to see the horrors of that place in full light. His minds eye was clear enough. For a moment he stood with his back to the door as if to lock away the vision forever. His eyes gradually adjusted to the light in the room, and once again he felt exposed and out of place.
It was a lab, very much like the one he had been created in on New Island. Cloning tanks lined one wall, most of them were empty, save for a three at the end. A scientist stood with his back to Mewtwo at a terminal. She tapped away furiously at a keyboard. Mewtwo watched as she finished the sequence and one of the tanks on the far wall began to groan. The tank contained a tiny mewtwo kitten. Mewtwo watched in horror as a blue solution entered the tank, it fell in smoky streaks, obviously heavier than the amniotic fluid already in the tank. The blue solution touched the kitten and it twitched once, then stopped struggling. The now deep purple solution fell to the bottom of the tank and was flushed away. The computer screen flashed a file number, then the words TERMINATED scrolled across the bottom of the screen.
There were no words. Mewtwo made no sound as he crossed the room in two long strides. The woman turned at the last moment, and before she could even draw breath to gasp in surprise, Mewtwo's clenched fist connected with her jaw. The womans head twisted sharply, ripping her black hair from its bun. She collapsed to the floor and Mewtwo stepped over her unconscious body and approached the terminal.
He thumbed through numerous tabs and files, each one bearing a sterile project number, and each one listed as terminated. Mewtwo grew more desperate as he opened files and scan-searched databases. He opened a folder labeled "to be processed" and let out an exasperated cry of his own. There was one kitten still listed as living in this lab, as well as twenty other specimens in holding cells. Mewtwo pulled up a map of the sub-level and memorized the layout and locations of the still living specimens. Satisfied that he had extracted all the information he could, he knelt next to the woman and began searching her for a key card as he had seen Jesse do on the upper levels.
Mewtwo pulled her key card free and read the womans name, "Blackwell," she was attractive for a human although she looked nothing like her identification holo now with a red-blue bruise spreading down the side of her face. Two rose to his feet and raised one foot. He could end her life now just as effortlessly as she had ended the life of the kitten in the tank. Ultimately he lowered his foot back down. He was many things, but he swore that he would never again be a killer.
He searched the lab for the remaining tank, trying to ignore the deep purple clouds at the bottom of many of the tanks along the walls. On his second lap around the lab, Mewtwo located the kitten. It was in a tank in the center of the floor with many more monitors and computer terminal nearby. The kitten was so tiny, smaller even than the other one, with a tail so long it would make Mew jealous. The kittens most stunning feature was the stark ghost-white color of its thin fur. Mewtwo searched for a release switch and found a card reader. He ran Blackwells card through and the reader beeped, then flashed the word "Denied."
Mewtwo should have known that it would never be that easy.
He tried the card again, only to be denied again. This time the screen read "LV1 Clearance Only." Mewtwo looked at the card, which read LV2 next to Blackwells name. He began wishing that he had one of Jesse's knock-knocks. The kittens vitals were still stable. Weak but stable. Mewtwo rested his hands against the glass. The tube was designed to slide upward. Perhaps if he tried the terminal at the side he could find a release key?
Before he could begin, he heard the sounds of a keyboard across the lab. Blackwell was up and off the floor again, tapping away at the keys. Mewtwo looked up at the top of the tank as the canisters containing the blue solution moved into place. With a cry, he shot an electric attack at the mechanisms frying the motors. Blackwell chuckled, the sound was muffled around her swollen jaw. "Touche."
Mewtwo turned to put her down again, then watched her hand fall and hit another key. A countdown began on the screen behind her. "What did you?"
"It always amazes me when one of you speaks as if expecting an answer. For the sake of closure I'll tell you. In thirty minutes this entire compound will blow. Taking everything inside with it. So what will it be First? Will you try to rescue the dregs of your species, or will you try to rescue the friend that got you here? You only have time for one," Blackwell removed her lab coat and tossed it on a chair, then walked out calmly.
Mewtwo almost gave chase, but then turned back to the kitten. He didn't have time to play around. For a moment he wondered what Sabrina or Bill would have him do in a time like this. An idea hit him. He took a few steps back, then made a running jump-kick at the tank. It reverberated, but didn't give. "Come on..." Mewtwo ran again, and again, each time his foot glanced off easily. He searched the room for a chair or some other hard object he could use, finally he settled for ripping a pipe from the wall.
Bellowing loudly he swung the pipe and this time succeeded in creating a thin crack across the glass. He swung twice more before the pipe bent uselessly in half. Undeterred, Mewtwo ran at the tank again, landing his kick on the thin fault lines. Between the combined fury of his fists and feet, the cracks began to spread, until the air seemed to split with a loud crack as the water pressure inside the tank pushed the weakened glass outward. He stood in the flood, pulling away shards of glass to widen the gap. His cut and bleeding hands held the kitten steady until the water level had subsided.
For a long moment, Mewtwo breathed deeply, cuts that he didn't know he had began to bleed from the glass. Very carefully he removed the kitten from the glass womb, and pulled it close. The computer at his side beeped loudly as the small sensors disconnected from the small white body. Mewtwo could feel the kittens weak heartbeat, but didn't detect any breathing. "Come on...we've come this far, don't give up now..."
He rubbed the small back, trying to stimulate the small body into reacting. Finally he settled for pinching the kittens side the kitten gasped, drawing in its first breath. Mewtwo felt relief and happiness spread through his chest. Wrapping the kitten up in Blackwells discarded labcoat, Mewtwo went to finish his mission.
Time was running short. The halls were bigger than Mewtwo had given them credit for. He moved at full run, holding the bundle containing the kitten tightly to his chest with one hand and Blackwells key card in the other. As he passed by cells containing others, he swiped the card then threw the doors open. The first cell he encountered contained an unassuming mewtwo of indeterminate age with golden fur and bright purple eyes. Mewtwo had wanted to speak to him, had wanted to embrace or learn his name or history. Instead Mewtwo only said a few words. "Hurry, this lab is going to blow up in fifteen minutes. Help me free the others."
And just like that, the golden furred mewtwo jumped to his feet and fell into step behind Mewtwo. Two would open the doors and the other would relay information. The psychic suppression systems were in full effect here. Some of the mewtwos would cower in the rear of the cells, refusing to move for fear of punishment, others were already waiting at the doors, shouting for assistance.
Mewtwo freed another of his kind with green fur, who then helped him rescue another with dark blue fur and blood-red stripes. Together they pulled a pale pink female from her cell. Two didn't even know if they had names, or if they only referred to each other by numbers. Either way, they all had to get out.
The pink fem approached Mewtwo and offered to take the kitten. Reluctantly, Mewtwo gave her the wrapped bundle, then turned to the green male. "Here, this pass card will open the other cells and give you access to the computer terminals. Use it to get everyone out of here."
The green one turned and began rounding up the others. The blue and red one reached out and grabbed Mewtwo's arm. None of the imprisoned mewtwos could speak with the suppression systems on, yet the gesture was clear. "There is one other that I need to save. Go. Make sure everyone gets out safely."
The blue and red nodded, then joined the green male again. Mewtwo watched them go, momentarily stunned that his kind, his kind, could come in such a rainbow of colors. They made for the exits, overwhelming Team Rocket Agents that were foolish enough to step in to their path. Mewtwo made a vow to track down all of the others later. He would learn about them, hold them, speak to them and train them as needed, but later. Now he had a few loose ends to tie up.
Mewtwo went his separate way, forcing open the door on an elevator shaft, and partially flying up it to reach the higher levels. The map he had viewed in the lab held all the information he needed. As he encountered the suppression fields he gripped the ladder on the inside of the shaft and climbed upward until he cleared the field, and resumed flying again.
He forced open another set of doors and emerged into a more familiar office area on the ground floor. Even here the chaos that he had caused down below echoed in the actions of the various Agents. Hordes of black clothed humans evacuated the facility, some of them taking shots at the mewtwos that escaped alongside them. Other Agents tried to maintain discipline and order. Mewtwo broke out of a window and went rolling along the ground. Distantly he heard the sound of a helicopter begin to start up.
"No you don't..." Mewtwo hissed. He hovered above the ground and began searching for the helipad. Psychic alarm systems be damned, it was too late for any kind of warning now.
Mewtwo spied Giovanni walking briskly from one large building, a team of six Agents around him armed with guns. Jesse was being held at gun point by Giovanni as he made his way to the helicopter. With his adrenaline already high, Mewtwo closed in on Team Rocket leader. His guards turned as one and began to fire. Mewtwo cursed and backed away, seeking cover behind a few trees.
Pssst.
Mewtwo looked to his side and saw the green mewtwo taking cover in the same tree...and armed with a grenade launcher. Where he acquired it was anyone's guess. "Do you know how to use that thing?" Mewtwo asked.
Names Boris...demolitions. First attack I ever learned was Explode followed by Firespin. Encountered some poor soul on my way up here, scoured his mind for all the information I needed. I'll make sure that chopper doesn't leave the ground.
Mewtwo nodded, so they did have names. He was still amazed at the novelty of sitting beside another of his species. "Just...don't hit the red-head. She's an ally."
Aye sir. Boris raised the grenade launcher to his shoulder, and with a little more glee than Mewtwo found comfortable, lined up the sight and fired. The projectile arched as nicely as anyone could ask, breaking through the windshield of the helicopter and exploding within the cockpit with a brief flash of orange followed by smoke. Now for the fuel tanks. Lucas, toss me another!
Right-o! Lucas, the dark blue and red one reached into a crate at his side and playfully tossed another shell to Boris, who caught it easily and reloaded the launcher. By now the guards had turned their attention to the trees, and Mewtwo along with the others made a hasty retreat.
Mewtwo flew low to the ground, ducking under their line of fire as he advanced on them. As he came closer he released Psychic, one of the most impressive attacks in his arsenal. Three of the Agents were repelled backward, while the other three tried to form a defensive wall between Mewtwo and Giovanni. As soon as their backs were turned, Boris fired his second grenade, this time landing the hit on the helicopter's gas tanks.
The helicopter exploded dramatically, the sound was echoed by the charges that Blackwell had set far underground as they began to detonate. The remaining three Agents along with Giovanni were blasted across the parking lot. Slowly Mewtwo advanced on Giovanni, blood running freely from his ears and nose along with numerous cuts on his person.
"Come any closer and I shoot her," Giovanni picked Jesse up from the concrete and set his pistol against her head.
Mewtwo paused in his advance. He knew that the other mewtwos were taking up positions around them, hiding in the trees and brush. How he knew was still a mystery to him. It was as if just by seeing each other the all joined into a collective consciousness. This is my fight. Mewtwo sent. I started this fight, I will finish it. All of you, go. Scatter to the winds. We will find each other later.
Giovanni and Mewtwo stared each other down, and Mewtwo noted that once again things had come full circle. Once again they stood in the ruins of a lab, encircled by flames, but things would be different this time. There would be no more experiments, no more abuses to the Pokemon of this world. Mewtwo doubted that he could wipe the humans mind clean again this time without causing major damage.
On second thought, that was exactly what he needed.
"Put Jesse down, she doesn't need to be part of this," Mewtwo said softly. Jesse was fully awake and conscious now, her blue eyes pleaded with him to run.
"And lose my only hostage?" Giovanni smirked. "No. I will never surrender to you. I created you, I even created more of you. I can have as many of you as I like now. All of the secrets of the Mews have been unlocked and opened due to my funding and work. Not even the Pokegods stand in my way."
"And yet you still hide behind a woman?" Mewtwo couldn't help but comment.
"You have a point," Giovanni pushed Jesse toward Mewtwo, then shot her in the back as she stumbled.
Mewtwo caught her as she fell, then raised an arm just as Giovanni trained the gun on his head once more. With a mental roar, Mewtwo unleashed his last remaining attack, a Psyburn, drawing on the despair in his soul to give it more energy and power. Giovanni grabbed his head and screamed as Mewtwo's psychic energy ripped across his brain and through his nervous system, erasing his memories and ambitions, true to the name of the attack, burning away all aspects of the man he once was.
The gun dropped from his hand, clattering against the pavement. Giovanni followed, slumping over wide-eyed and drooling.
For several long moments, Mewtwo stood with his arm outstretched, his mind and body so numb he wondered if he was even still alive. He watched the fallen Team Rocket leader take shallow breaths, a prisoner of his own mind inside that meaty shell. He lowered his arm and a cold wind suddenly blew, and for a moment Mewtwo caught a mental ghost-like image of a massive white Pokemon standing over Giovanni's fallen from. Then it was gone.
Another rumble sounded deep underground, and Mewtwo knelt, picking Jesse up and placing her on his back. "How are you?"
"About as good as one c-c-can expect after g-g-getting shot," Jesse stammered. "Leave me...get out of here."
"You know I won't do that," Mewtwo started heading for the treeline. The other mewtwos were gone, as he had instructed them. Woodland Labs began to crumble and burst into flames behind them. He found the trail they had taken hours ago and followed it with the intent of locating the motorcycle.
Mewtwo took three steps and his foot disturbed something in the leaves. He glanced down to see the prone body on the soft pink fem that he had given the kitten to. She had been shot several times. For a moment Mewtwo couldn't even summon up sadness. He was still in shock over recent events. Instead he knelt down and rolled her over onto her back. Across her thigh was a barcode. He never knew her name, only a series of lines that indicated a number. Jesse remained quiet, although he could hear her breath sticking in her throat on the verge of tears.
He searched the ground around the fem, looking for the kitten. Did someone take it? Did they shoot her and steal her precious cargo? Mewtwo scanned the forest floor, the leaves, the trees, and exhaled heavily when he gaze rested on the little white bundle stowed in the crook of a tree.
Holding the bundle tightly against his chest, he slowly shuffled through the forest, toward the motorcycle and hopefully civilization.
