A/N - This is a bit of a shorter chapter, but it contains a lot of information. I hope you enjoy!
Thanks for all reads, reviews, faves and follows! =D
17 - Project B
Harbinger skulked inside the trees, just at the edge of the laboratory's cloak. It was an unusual thing made up entirely of psychic energy. Only a strong psychic-type could create such a thing, but it wasn't perfect. Harbinger didn't have to move very close to spot the squat white building crouching in the middle of the clearing. The ground around it had been trampled flat, either from training or from the beast snoring on the other side of the building. Harbinger had spotted that thing straight away. It had curled up right after it had finished its meal and hadn't stirred since.
Its position meant Harbinger had to be further away from the window than he'd have liked, but he'd still heard every word the sleazy meowstic had said. He'd not seen the pokemon, but he had the feline accent typical of a meowstic. Harbinger hadn't encountered many at all, and several had fallen victim to his disasters. After what he'd heard, this meowstic was on track to be on the receiving end of another.
Absol were feared to bring natural disasters wherever they went, perceived as nothing more than an omen. But the truth wasn't that they brought them. It was that they could detect them. The subtle sounds in the air that preceded a landslide, the faint scent that came before a storm, or the tremble in the ground that warned of an earthquake. An absol's senses were much more heightened than any other pokemon. But it had given the poor pokemon a bad reputation. One that left them exiled, feared, hated.
Harbinger silently seethed, keeping both crimson eyes on the building. He could barely see the window, but the shadows of the two pokemon briefly moved beyond it. Scratch and Claw crouched beneath the window, the sun bouncing off their glossy hides. The security around the lab was oddly lacking. Most likely relying on the tyranitar to deter anyone who boldly ventured into an open clearing, breaching the cloaking barrier.
What he'd heard had made his blood turn cold. The things those Heretics were planning… no, they weren't Heretics. Not in the general sense of the term, anyway. They didn't revere Hydreigon, they wanted to launch a war against him. Their plan was more than just flawed, it was dangerous. It could spell disaster for all of Estellis if someone didn't stop it.
No… he was being too hasty. He didn't know enough. He'd need much more information to go by before he threw a spanner in their works.
Scratch and Claw skittered back to him, glancing over their shoulders to make sure they'd not been seen. The meowstic's voice didn't give away any indication the pawniard had been sighted. He just continued on relaying his plan, showing no desire to leave his office any time soon.
Harbinger waited until the twins were within the trees before voicing his concerns. He sat up, keeping a watch on the laboratory.
"Did you hear everything?" he asked.
The twins nodded, and Scratch shuffled his blades together.
"An army…" Claw ran a blade over his head, making a faint screech. "They're going to start a war, aren't they?"
"There's already a war," said Harbinger. "We just happen to be on the losing end of it."
Harbinger sat silently, his ear twitching at Scratch's nervous fussing. He jerked his head towards movement at the back of the lab. A sandslash and heliolisk had emerged, walking away from Harbinger. The former was clutching a bucket, berating his colleague for something Harbinger didn't care enough to eavesdrop on. They vanished through the trees heading towards a lake Harbinger knew very well in the middle of the forest. A lake he hadn't tainted. Oh, what a fortunate thing it would have been had he known of this place much earlier.
"That meowstic said something about pokerus," Harbinger said.
The twins looked up at him and Scratch nodded.
"If I were to put the pieces together," Harbinger said slowly, "I would guess this is no ordinary strain of pokerus. If it's what they're using for their 'weapons', utilising living pokemon, then it would suggest they've done something to it." He licked his lips and bristled. "This leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I need you to get me that information."
Claw's golden eyes widened. "You want us to go inside?"
"Yes." Harbinger looked up towards where the tyranitar was dozing out of sight. "But don't worry. I'll create a diversion and draw everyone outside. You'll be free to slip in and out quickly as soon as the meowstic and his friend leave that office."
The two pawniard shifted uneasily and exchanged worried glances. But Claw's demeanour altered and he gave an affirmative nod.
"I think I know what to look for," he said. "Clear the path and we'll find it."
Harbinger gave them a fond smile and nodded. "I'll meet you both back here."
He ducked and followed the tree-line around the clearing, his thick-furred feet making almost no sound over the dry foliage. Various voices reached his ears from the different points inside the building. Jovial, familiar with one another. Laboratory or not, it was clear the pokemon that worked there also lived there.
The tyranitar lay curled up against the dented metal sheet adorning the wall. Bones lay scattered about it, picked clean and gnawed from its ravenous meal. The stink of fresh blood filled the air with every rumbling snore, and it moved slightly to lift a stubby paw to scratch its chin, before rolling over onto its back with a hefty sigh.
Harbinger instinctively froze, training all his senses onto the hulking threat. It stilled again, settling back into rhythmic snores. Harbinger glanced past it, trying to spot Scratch and Claw, but there was no sight of them from this angle. Harbinger turned his attention back to the tyranitar. Thick chains were fastened around its claws, the ends of which were clamped firmly into the iron plate and the rocky ground surrounding the building. Deeply fastened in, if Harbinger were to guess. The strength of that thing suggested it was fully capable of uprooting any flimsy attempts to detain it. Each chain link was as thick as the tyranitar's arms. They looked too heavy for Harbinger to carry easily, yet the tyranitar had made it look effortless. They wouldn't be trivial to break, either. Harbinger's selection of slashing moves would have very little effect, but his best option would be night slash. It would be enough to wake the tyranitar and wouldn't be hindered by the iron chains, either.
He threw his head back and lashed out with his horn, sending a curving shadow of dark energy towards the tyranitar's chains. It bounced off the metal with a clang. One of the tyranitar's red eyes snapped open, fixing on the trees where Harbinger was lurking. Harbinger sent out another two attacks, bashing the tyranitar's limbs where the chains were fixed. The beast opened its jaws wide in a mighty roar, sending a few stray leaves down from the canopy. It spotted Harbinger instantly and struggled to its feet, thrashing against its restraints. The weakened chains creaked and the iron plate behind it groaned with the effort of holding it back.
Another night slash, and Harbinger turned to duck into the forest. The almighty crack that followed made his blood turn cold. The behemoth roared again, turning into a howling bellow as it stomped after him. Harbinger gave a glance back. It had reached the end of its restraints, freeing only one leg. Its tail cleaved through the air as it twisted, gnawing at the chains that bound its stubby arms.
Voices joined its frantic cries as the two lycanroc rushed to check on it, and Harbinger let out a sigh of relief when he spotted the meowstic. The blue cat demanded an explanation, keeping his distance from the tyranitar.
Another crack and it had freed one of its arms. The lycanroc yelped with panic, the female running in circles as she tried to look for a way to bring it back under control.
A smirk spread across Harbinger's muzzle and he doubled back to trace the tree-line back towards Scratch and Claw. There was no sign of them when he reached their meeting point. He ducked further into the foliage, eyes flitting in all directions as the tyranitar's deafening bellows drowned out most of the other noise. It trembled down his horn and into his head, and he wanted nothing more than to put the clearing far behind him.
A shimmer of silver and red drew his eye to the back of the building and he let out a sigh of relief as Scratch and Claw scurried back to him, hugging the shadows. Scratch clutched a heavy binder in both arms, glancing back as he ducked into the trees after his brother.
Harbinger nodded for them to follow him and he led them away from the clearing until the tyranitar's cries faded out behind them into a dull drone.
The nervous pawniard dropped the folder at his feet and stood back, rubbing his claws together as he stared towards the chaos. Harbinger tuned it out, flipping the folder open with a paw. The front page graced him with the title of its contents;
'Project B'.
The very project the meowstic and his friend had kept bringing up in their discussion. A smirk spread across Harbinger's muzzle. The twins had done well. This was exactly the information he needed.
The documents weren't exactly written by someone with great penmanship. It took a moment for Harbinger to get used to the scrawl that looked more like a joltik had trodden in ink before taking a stroll across the paper.
'After years of testing, we've finally created a pokerus mutation that seems to yield better results. This is fantastic news after the failure that is now known as Project A. Our new subject, Project B, is showing much more positive results. So far, there has been no signs of self-mutilation. Even more positive are the huge results that it's demonstrating with its phenomenal attack power. Like our first subject, Project X, we believe it has gone the extra mile, pushing the subject beyond its estimated strength. However, it is still early days. This could always be natural for this particular subject.'
Harbinger's brow furrowed as he read over the entry again. So they actually had created a mutant strain of pokerus? This was becoming more interesting than he'd first thought. The way they'd written it suggested they feared the documents may find their way into the wrong paws. All identity for Project B (the tyranitar, he assumed) was kept secret. Paranoia, or a blatant disregard to the pokemon's identity and individuality?
He really wanted to get his paws on the information concerning 'Project A' to paint a bigger picture, but throwing Scratch and Claw back into the lab to find it was too much of a risk, and it wouldn't be long before they'd finally managed to calm down the tyranitar. Already its howls had quietened down, and if they suspected an outside party attempting its release then the Heretics may very well have increased their security.
He frowned through the trees then turned back to the file.
'My initial suspicions were correct. After today's training session, the calculations for Project B's attack strength were off the charts! This is exciting news. The new mutant pokerus strain is definitely doing the desired job. Our sources have been instructed to produce more of it, and hopefully we can create more like Project B. Our next plan of action is to increase its defence, but this isn't proving an easy task at present. Project B seems to really enjoy combat, and each attack thrown its way is retaliated against by an attack of its own. We may need to throw it into combat with other pokemon to increase its attack and defence simultaneously.'
"Then what were you using?" Harbinger muttered.
Scratch and Claw both twitched to look back at him, but Claw joined his side to read over the documents, leaving his brother to keep watch.
'Project B seems most at ease during combat. It has started to demonstrate a foul mood and has begun demanding training sessions. Only while fighting does it seem most at peace, almost euphoric. We're not complaining, however. A compliant subject is the best we can ask of. Some of our other subjects are much more stubborn. Some of my staff are putting this down to boredom. The training sessions are the highlight of Project B's day, and the only times it is allowed out of its cell. I am wondering whether to give it more freedom in exchange for compliance? This will need some thinking, since it might try to break free and return home. The only solution to that is to extract all its memories, but that comes with risks and I'm not ready to implement such a thing yet until we know exactly what the nature of this pokerus strain is. So far, just like the prototype that manifested here, it isn't contagious.'
Harbinger wasn't sure whether he found that reassuring. If it wasn't contagious, then it wouldn't spread. But if it had mutated once naturally, then what was to stop it from mutating again?
'We decided to increase Project B's training sessions in order to cater to its growing mood swings. However, things took a dire turn. During the afternoon session, Project B suddenly turned. I can only describe its outburst as 'madness'. Everything that moved was a target, and we had to tranquilise it with spore darts in order to rescue what was left of my staff. We lost two, and one is fatally wounded. Once Project B came to, it was once again calm. Not even a hint of a mood swing. What's more, it has no memories of the attack. When told, it was utterly shocked. Whether or not this is a one-off, no one wants to go near Project B after this. I shall have to find some new trainers for the job.'
Harbinger's stomach turned. Was the meowstic even upset by all this? The way he'd worded it suggested it was more of a chore. Having to find new trainers… he was willing to put others at risk like that? Harbinger's fur stood up along his spine and he slammed the file shut with a heavy paw.
"What kind of vile…?!" He took a deep breath and turned his face from it.
Scratch shifted beside him and rubbed his claws together. "Is this what they've done to that tyranitar?"
Harbinger nodded stiffly. But the way it acted… it wasn't the pokemon described in the documents. Perhaps Project B was a different test subject? One of many, even?
Harbinger flipped the file back open and rifled through it until he was back where he'd left off.
'Two new handlers have been recruited for Project B. They seem rather fearless, yet still cautious. If they keep this up, then they may be the perfect pair to deal with it. They had to talk Project B back into fighting. It was oddly stubborn. We've had no more begging for training sessions, and its mood swings are more depressive than agitated and angry. Maybe we shouldn't have tried to jog its memory about its attacks on its handlers? After today, we won't mention any more outbursts to it. And if these new handlers do a good enough job and survive, we won't need to either.
'So far, we've discovered that each battle results in another outburst of madness. It appears the heat of battle is the main trigger. Nothing else has set it off. During combat, it grows euphoric as if it really enjoys fighting. A stark contrast to the stubbornness before each session. It seems to fear them now, but once it's into them its as if we're training a different pokemon. Spore darts are in high demand to keep it down. They seem the most effective way to control it. Fortunately we have enough grass-types handy to extract it from. As Project B grows in strength, so do the number of darts needed to bring it back down after each session.'
Harbinger was almost foaming at the mouth. He dug his claws into the ground, forcing himself to read on. If anyone was crazy in that lab then it was the meowstic. He had no respect for his employees or the pokemon he was keeping there as test subjects.
The log entries were long and tedious, most of them the same. Project B is trained, it turns, almost kills its handlers on more than one occasion. Yet they kept coming back to train it. Harbinger had to question their sanity. Like Project B, they were as faceless and nameless as it was.
He turned page after page until he reached something that made his blood freeze.
'Project B has completely turned. The morning's session was the same as any other, but once it woke up from its spore-induced sleep, the madness hadn't worn off. It managed to break out of its enclosure and went on a rampage through the laboratory. All means were used to try to halt it. Thunderwave, hypnosis… nothing worked. It had developed an immunity to such attacks. It mutilated fifteen of our subjects. Ten of them didn't survive, and much to our horror it seemed to want to eat them. We had to bring it down again with spore darts, although it took seven to have any level of effect. We need to find some other way to detain it. We don't want to lose Project B. Not after we've come so far.'
Harbinger turned the page, his heart racing.
'The only means to keep Project B detained is to use heavy chains. It can't break them, no matter how much it tries. We've had to chain it outside to keep it away from the other subjects. It is notoriously difficult to feed, turning its nose up at berries and jerky. It's almost as if it's reverted to some kind of primal state. We've had to source a provider of fresh meat for it. Its handlers have agreed to deal with it and keep it happy, although 'happy' isn't the word I'd use to describe it.
'Its madness will simply not wear off. I've tried to access its mind, and it's like a swirling cascade of confusion. There's nothing I can do to snap it out of it. But needless to say, its strength is phenomenal. The madness removes all moral barriers, turning it into some kind of killing machine. A biological weapon. If we had more like Project B, then we'd have the most powerful army Estellis has ever seen. I've already started work on a new program to develop these weapons. But training them in the lab is much too risky. I'll keep all future records in another document, and this one will continue to log Project B's progress.'
Harbinger's stomach had twisted so much he thought he was going to be sick.
The meowstic was still doing this. Raising pokemon to be weapons of war behind those clean, white walls.
Harbinger frowned through the trees as he digested all this, but it only added to his growing nausea. He needed to do something about it. Put an end to the meowstic and his abhorrent creations. Perhaps he could turn the tyranitar on him? No… that was too risky.
He needed to do something else. Something the meowstic, should he survive, would find it very hard to recover from. The problem was, he was too far away from anything Harbinger could mask as a natural disaster. No mountain slopes, no rivers to flood, and earthquakes were out of Harbinger's power. Out of his, but not the tyranitar's. It would be a small earthquake, one the meowstic could trace back to his 'Project B'. And that was only if the tyranitar actually knew the attack.
Harbinger would have to do something else. Something that would, unfortunately, look like sabotage and not a natural disaster.
"You're thinking," said Claw.
Harbinger nodded slowly.
The pawniard shuffled his feet beside him, drawing the attention of his nervous twin. "You want to destroy that place, don't you?"
"I have to," said Harbinger. "I have no choice. You saw what was in that folder. If we leave them to continue this…" He waved a paw as he tried to think up the right words, "creation of abominations, then they have to be stopped. No question about it." He shook his head and sighed. "We can't let them unleash these things onto Estellis. The world is in a dire enough state as it is. We don't need pokemon rampaging, out of control of their own faculties, killing and destroying everything in sight. If that happens, then there'll be nothing left."
Scratch looked between Harbinger and his brother, then flicked through the folder to scan the information.
"And what if the pokerus mutates?" Claw asked. "If we all end up catching it…"
"We'll all become like that tyranitar," said Harbinger. "Out of control. Insane. We'd all turn on each other."
Claw closed his eyes and grimaced. "Then… what do you suggest we do?"
"Simple." Harbinger stood and looked down at the twins. "Tonight, we go inside and wreak havoc."
Claw's eyes widened, and Scratch looked up sharply from the folder.
"First, we find all the building's weak points. Places that are left unguarded," Harbinger went on. "Then we release all their test subjects, destroy all their data and run." He turned to look back towards the lab. "If they want to breed chaos, then I'll show them chaos. They'll be sorry they ever made this 'Project B'."
...
Review Replies:
AdamFics - Sorry you found last week's chapter on the short side. This one is unfortunately shorter, but I hope the sheer amount of information makes up for it? As for what you said about Rio, he's not a stable character by any stretch! Another reviewer (on TR) pointed out the contrast between Tinker and Rio in the way they use other pokemon in the previous chapter, which I found quite interesting!
Immortes - Yup, we're at the Clean Place! =D
Thanks for reading!
Please R&R! =D
