Chapter 29

The Expedition

Earth 63, 2049, 6:59 AM

3rd person POV

As the sun rose on the horizon, painting the sky orange over Sunyshore city, a massive ship was leaving port. It looked like an armored warship that had been repurposed as a science vessel, however it's occupants were anything but normal.

Calrok, in his human guise was watching the ship's navigator as he pointed the ship south, he then felt an all too familiar presence behind him.

"Sir, Giovanni is ready to brief us" Ethan reported.

"Well then, let's not keep him waiting" Calrok said calmly as he and Ethan left the bridge for the communications room behind it. The metal doors shut behind him and the lights dimmed. The radar and sonar technicians instinctively went silent as the light of Giovanni's hologram illuminated the room from a tabel in the center.

"Update me on your progress" Giovanni ordered.

"We've left Sunyshore and are heading due south, I still am curious as to how we are finding our target?" Calrok asked respectfully.

"I will allow your chief scientist on this mission to explain that" Giovanni said as a multicolored portal opened, revealing a woman with crimson red hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a black jumpsuit with a lab coat over it.

"Dr Kassar I assume?" Ethan asked.

"You would assume correctly, Giovanni has hired me to find your target" Olivia responded in a cold voice, it was clear how little emotion she conveyed.

"And what is our target?" Ethan asked, tired of not knowing his mission.

"As you know our beta armies are nearly finished, however we still haven't found a way to control them outside of a shadow energy proficient handler. The computer chips in their brains are too easily damaged. As such we need a sure fire way to control them, one lost millions of years ago" Kassar explained.

"Wait, the betas were controlled by Giratina directly?" Calrok asked.

"Not exactly" Giovanni admitted.

"Giratina created a specific species of beta to act as a hive mind, they were the commanders who were direct extensions of his will" Olivia explained further.

Giovanni's hologram shrunk to half its size as a beta appeared in a hologram next to him, it was vaguely humanoid, a thin body with black skin and bioluminescence all over its torso. It's hands ended in three fingers with sharp claws, it's legs however were incredibly thin with two small toes that looked hardly large enough to stand. It's head was elongated, you could see bioluminescence through its skin where it's brain was and it's head ended in a small mouth covered with tentacles, almost like whiskers.

"This is an Ancestor, they telepathically controlled entire colonies of betas, Giratina has informed me that somewhere is this ocean, a beta colony survived deep underground in an island hooked up to a thermal vent. Within this cavern is an ark, a sealed chamber containing Ancestors that cytogenetically froze themselves to survive the extinction event that wiped out most of their kind, Your mission is to find that ark and retrieve the brain of a living ancestor. I expect results, do not fail me again" Giovanni said, the last part of the sentence specifically geared towards Calrok. The call was cut soon after.

"How are we supposed to persevere a brain for transport?" Ethan asked.

"With this" Olivia answered as she held out a glass tube the size of a briefcase with a white handle on the top, it had a base on the bottom that looked like it emitted energy.

"So this will preserve it for how long?" Calrok asked, still somewhat agitated at Giovanni's parting words.

"Indefinitely, once it's sealed with the brain inside it fills the tube with a liquid that acts like a freeze without hardening the brain tissue and risking nerve damage. It was originally designed to transport donor organs, I modified it of course" Olivia said proudly.

Ethan nodded and said, "Excellent, I'll go and check the beta cells on board, we may be followed so it will pay to be prepared" before leaving the room and heading to the lower decks.

"How do you plan to find the island in the thousands of miles of uncharted ocean?" Calrok asked, sceptical if Olivia's confidence.

"I've developed a software to detect shadow energy, I'll be sending out a signal and match up pings with known geological vents, I'll find the island, just be ready to go at any time" Olivia scoffed before exiting the bridge for her lab.

Calrok groaned as he returned to the bridge steering room, this wouldn't be a pleasant experience, the sooner she found the island the better….

Earth 63, 2049, 12:36 PM

Connor's POV

I was working at my desk patiently, Z was training the team on their day off. I had manipulated their college hours so that they had two free days every week, one for training and one for an actual day off. I was going over the data Allegiance had sent me regarding the breeder and other betas they had fought when the phone on my desk rang, I picked it up expecting yet another school related call only to hear the familiar voice of General Castle.

"Headmaster, do you have a moment" Castle requested, his tone strangely formal.

"Yes General, assuming this isn't another attempt to incriminate me for something" I responded, still cautious after our call yesterday.

"I apologize for acting rashly, I need your help…" Castle forced out the words. Clearly speaking through clenched teeth.

"What can I do for you?" I replied, hopefully this would give me a chance to get on better terms with him.

"A ship with forged documentation left Sunyshore city this morning, we believe Giovanni's faction is involved" Castle explained.

"And you want me to do what?" I responded, wary of his next words.

"I will be following them in my ship cloaked, we need to see where their going and stop them when they get there, I need your expertise in this matter" Castle conceded.

"Very well, I'm afraid that I cannot personally help you, but I have a selection of Former MRPA agents who could, that is if you don't ask them for too many details on their history and allow a friend of mine to oversee them" I offered.

"Very well" Castle responded,he was clearly upset about the situation but acknowledging the need for my help.

"Send a jet to my school, I'll have them waiting" I requested before hanging up and calling Z's cell phone.

"Z, prepare the team for a mission, I'm sending you a briefing soon" I said quickly.

"Copy," he said before hanging up.

I then typed a brief summary along with instructions for the team, after emailing it I typed a new number into my phone, one that I had not called in almost a year. Most of the time we only talked in person.

As the phone picked up I heard him shutting the door, I waited a moment for him to respond.

"Yes Connor?" Alex Mason asked.

"Alex, pack your bags. Your going with the team to help Castle on a very important mission" I explained as quickly as possible.

"Are you sure you can trust Castle?" Alex asked.

"No, that's why I'm sending you to oversee things, call Castle when your ready, I'll be in Altomare tomorrow, keep me posted after that" I requested before hanging up and calling my secretary.

"Mrs. Cross, I'll be leaving for a family event, send anything to my answering machine until Friday" I said in a hurry before hanging up and leaving my office.

My son's birthday was worth missing a day, if he wanted me there….

Author's note- thank you all for your continuing support, if possible leave a review so i know that my hiatus hasn't damaged my quality...