Chapter 4
"Pokemon League Entrance Academy"
Making our way to the Port Authority Office in the World Trade Center's north tower, our first glimpse of Ivan Nureyev was of someone who seemingly got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. But there had to be a reason why he came to us in the first place. I mean, why else would someone with a Russian Accent come all the way to New York to meet up with us?
"All right, Pussycats," Bill said as we entered a small room and sat down. "It seems Mr. Nureyev here has something he would like us to say. Please bear with him, though. He flew in from Frankfurt last night."
"Wow, that's quite a surprise," May remarked. "I knew we are strong in our field, Rally. But I didn't expect him to come all this way from West Germany."
"We are just doing our jobs, May," I replied to my partner. "Now, Mr. Nureyev, what can we do for you?"
Taking a deep breath, Ivan lowered himself onto the table and began to confess his emotions.
"You see, young ladies," he said. "I've been running the Pokemon League Entrance Academy for the past two years. The purpose of the academy is for Pokemon trainers to skip traveling to Pokemon gyms and earning badges to get into the Pokemon League competitions that are held every year."
"And where was this year's Pokemon League going to be held, Mr. Nureyev?"
"They were going to be held the same as every year, at the Indigo Plateau in Japan," he answered. "Pan American World Airways is the official partner of the academy ever since the academy was founded 18 years ago."
"18 years ago? That's pretty impressive," I remarked with a slight chuckle.
"I never thought it would come to this, however," Ivan continued, leaning back in the chair he was sitting in. "Pan Am gave me their word that they would protect the academy's students traveling abroad from any harm."
Both May and I gave each other a look as we continued to listen to Ivan.
"About 2 years ago, Team Rocket and a group of terrorists hijacked a Pan Am jetliner in Karachi, Pakistan that carried 25 students from India that were enrolled in our academy. 15 of them were killed and only ten survived. Afterwards, the Pan Am Chairman at the time gave me his word that no attack against our students would be made."
"This was the Alert Security program Pan Am created a few years ago, Pussycats," said Bill, much to our annoyance. "Of course, it hasn't lived up to its potential and promise."
"I believe that looking back now, Pan Am did not live up to it's promise to protect our students from danger. All they really wanted was publicity and profit."
Just then, I had a thought come into my mind regarding one of the organizations that took part in the Pan Am hijacking Ivan was talking about.
"Um, Mr. Nureyev," I said. "You mentioned Team Rocket took part in the Pan Am hijacking in Pakistan a few years back. Did they, by any chance, use any Pokemon in the attack?"
"Of course they did, young lady," Ivan answered in a sharp tone. "Why else would they not?"
"I was just asking," I replied in a taken aback tone. "And the name is Rally Vincent, bounty hunter."
"Oh, yes, forgive me, Ms. Vincent," Ivan said, quickly correcting his mistake. "I'm sorry. It's just that I feel betrayed by a company that promised to protect my students."
As Bill handed Ivan a glass of water, a small tear came down Ivan's face. The experience of Pan Am 103 was clearly taking an effect on him.
"What kind of Pokemon did Team Rocket use in the hijacking?"
"Fighting type Pokemon, Pokemon trained to kill people without any mercy. Pokemon that display deadly abilities to kill at a slight command. Team Rocket's goal has always been to take over the world using Pokemon and they want to wipe every country off the planet and start over with them at the forefront."
"It's a strange and perverse ideology, Pussycats," added Bill. "Kind of like that cuckoo 45 years ago, also from Germany."
As Bill spoke, one of my hands was already reaching for one of the guns I kept on me. Hearing about Team Rocket was making me angry and I had only been hearing of them until now.
"Mr. Nureyev," I said, releasing my hand off of the gun. "We are going to need a list of all the students that attended your academy this semester that were traveling supposedly on Pan Am 103."
"Of course, but…"
"But what?"
"They weren't even supposed to be on Pan Am 103 in the first place."
This blew the case wide open for both of us.
"In what way?"
"They were supposed to be on Flight 73, the same plane that was hijacked in Karachi. Many of our students traveling from the United States would normally take that particular flight to New York from Frankfurt. It originated in Bombay, but ended in New York with stops in Karachi and Frankfurt."
It seemed to both May and me that Team Rocket supposedly had a deep facination with Pan Am Flight 73. If they could hijack this particular flight, then they could blow it out of the sky just as much.
"Um, one last question, Mr. Nureyev," I said. "Was this Alert program that Pan Am created up to standards in Frankfurt?"
"They told me that it was. But, I guess they lied to me."
"I'm going to recommend that Mr. Nureyev be placed in protection in case that Team Rocket plans to target him," said Bill. "Do you know of any places where he can hide?"
"How should I know?" I remarked, my face falling flat. "Does it look like I've lived in this city all my life, Bill?"
"Just asking, Pussycat."
It was clear that Ivan was a marked man by Team Rocket. But there was also the matter of how something like Pan Am would fail to protect it's passengers and crew.
"All right, so what do we do now?" asked May as we left the Port Authority office. "If Team Rocket targeted Pan Am flights out of Frankfurt, then either they are being lazy or intentional? I mean, if I would smuggle an explosive onto a Pan Am plane, would I believe that there would be cracks in the system?"
I then began to get myself an idea. May and I were going to need additional help to focus on the security failures that Pan Am brought upon itself. Looking over, I saw a payphone right by the main entrance.
"I think I know who can help us," I said with a smile and set about the task of calling the one woman that can look into this…Becky "The Nose" Farrah.
…
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