A/N: Would a few more reviews hurt? Otherwise I may discontinue this!
Eclipse: Having pretty awesome day, and very happy you like!
VMorticia: It's a thing called a dictionary. Also another thing called a spellcheck. They do come in useful occasionally. But intriguing is spelt like so. Don'cha just hate me being smug?
Crimson Fuchsia: I like cliffhangers. They annoy so many people so very well. And try not to laugh too loudly when reading this in public. But I'm trying to keep the 'Awww' factor of the Mewtwo/Sashara relationship going.
Miah Tolensky: The Eevee does play its part later on in the fic. As for Sashara…read on.
Mystic Mewtwo: Again, I just love cliffhangers.
Disclaimer: Sashara and Penumbra are mine and anyone who swipes them will be hunted down and…hurt very badly. Everything else is owned by 4Kids, Nintendo and Satoshi Tajiri. Huh.
Warning: Strong references to abuse, addiction, and other nasty stuff; if you don't like this, then don't read it - I have no wish to get flamed by illiterate idiots.
Italics denote Pokemon speech
Forgotten: Part 6
Sashara didn't move or look up at me for some time, preferring instead to stare at the blood clotting on her skin.
To have wedged a hypodermic into her arm that deeply…apparently there were some of her traits such as inborn strength that could not be restrained. But why take such a risk? Being a clone meant that any genetic instabilities or inherited mutations would have been phased out before she was 'born.'
I sat a short distance away from her and studied her. 'Am I going to receive an explanation any time soon?'
'You're not going to leave me alone about this, are you.' It wasn't a question.
'No.'
She stared at me for a few minutes, then sighed. 'Open my pack and you'll find a black cylinder. That should answer a few of your questions.'
Penumbra sniffed the heavy canvas pack and dragged it towards my feet. I was fully aware I was about to open a literal Pandora's Box. But having the knowledge I needed, no matter how painful, was preferable to the ignorance of a possible nightmare.
The end of the cylinder was buried under the few clothes Sashara had brought with her from the lab. A medicinal scent wafted from the surface…one that seemed vaguely familiar. The memories of New Island came crawling back, along with the relatively new emotion of apprehension.
Painful knowledge or blissful ignorance.
An easy choice for many normal lifeforms.
But I am not normal.
The medicinal smell became stronger as I prised the cylinder open, tipping its contents into my paws. A sealed pack of hypodermic needles, a similar pack of syringes and a metal canister of some sort. The print on the metal was worn in places, but it was still legible.
OMEGA...CNS v.0029
CNS…I recognised the abbreviation from my incarceration inside Team Rocket's Viridian base.
Cortical Neuro-Suppressant.
One of the most deadly mind-altering toxins possessed by Giovanni. I had only ever heard of the powers of this drug; I luckily never saw the effects for myself.
But v.0029…I had a fair idea of what Omega meant. But why would one of the most powerful clones ever created need to dose themselves with an experimental subliminal memory suppressant?
Penumbra had settled beside her legs and was staring quietly at the tube. 'Vee?' /Why?/
Her face was emotionless, but her voice said otherwise. 'I had no choice. It was the only way to make it stop…stop everyone hurting me, testing me…and him…'
She shook her head and stared at me with an almost calculating look on her face.
'One dose of CNS normally lasts for about 8 hours. Since most of it bled back out, the effects should only last for a couple of hours at best.'
Her gaze slid back down to her arm. 'If you want to know, then you'll have to trust me.'
I knew what she was asking. A Psychic meld would be the easiest way for her to explain what caused her addiction to the drug.
Two hours to go.
It took a lot to sit this close to her, being able to feel her control over her memories slipping. But compared to my discomfort, what Sashara was experiencing was nothing short of hell on Earth. Much like myself, she preferred to be in control. To give up that control was nothing short of surrendering to the enemy.
The meld in itself would be fairly straightforward; Sashara would have the ability to leave the act at all times, while I would merely 'tag on' to her thought processes and project them to Penumbra, curled up beside the shivering hybrid before me.
'Now.'
I brought my paws up to rest against her temples while she rested her hands against my forehead. Within a few moments the meld would take hold…
…A sea of black. Endless, suffocating…where was she?
Lost…no hope…drowning…
Her mind reached out to mine. Almost comforting in a way…
'Trust me…'
The blackness shimmered…a room… a laboratory. Machines…
Metal and plastic panels dotted the walls. Not an inch of the room escaped the metal. Shapes rushed about…humans…rushing around a…a pillar? No…a maturation chamber.
The form inside I recognised instantly. But this was not the stasis chamber I had released my predecessor from.
I was witnessing Sashara's birth.
'…Radio Giovanni's headquarters! Tell him it's ready…'
The senior lab technician was tapping at the control panel of the chamber. The form inside the chamber was stirring, her muscles shifting as she attained consciousness. Dark eyes slid open as she stared in curiosity around the artificial womb.
'…Where…where am I?…'
No one answered…
Another room…a small shower and basin stood to one side. Sashara was huddled under a black towel while one of the scientists took her vital signs.
No anger, no rage…wariness yes, but none of the extreme emotions she displayed around me…
…Another being…a Pokemon…a Chansey appeared, fussing over her 'patient', cleaning the maturation fluids from her face and body.
'…You're a…Chansey?'
Quite right, my dear.
'Could you…maybe…answer something for me?'
I'm not sure, but I'll try.
'Where am I…?'
…This room I knew well. Giovanni's office in Viridian. Opposite him, Sashara sat in one of the giant leather chairs, nervously buckling and loosening her gauntlets.
'…You have demonstrated your powers merely by surviving the cloning process. Now you will learn to use them as part of your purpose.'
She frowned. 'But what is my purpose?'
The Team Rocket leader leant over and almost tenderly patted her hand. 'Patience, dear girl. You will learn in time...'
…The Viridian Gym. The site of my own discovery of my powers…The new challenger stood at the southern side of the gym, his last Pokemon at his side. Giovanni remained in the shadows. With a gesture, the hatch beneath the north balcony rose…
…And an abomination of nature and science stood in the doorway. Sashara's body was covered in armor almost identical to the kind I once wore…only her feet and hands remained untouched…
'Vaporeon, Tackle that…thing…now!'
'B-6, Metronome.'
The water Pokemon never had a chance…
…'You need to improve your speed and power, B-6. As such, my team will help you achieve your maximum through a series of tests and experiments…'
The lab once again. Giovanni stood in front of a group of scientists I regrettably once knew. Zavros may have had morals, but next to this band of degenerates…
…Darkness…noises…whimpers of pain…
A small cell. A bed, chair, desk and a small basin and toilet; the basic provisions of a Team Rocket prison. The bundle lying on the bed, restraining an agonized howl…
…Blood…I could see and smell blood…
Scars covered her body, wide and flowing across her back, chest and shoulders. Hypodermic tracks and IV valves were embedded in her arms, some still dripping fluid…
…Her face…marred…tears of rage and hurt streaming down her face…
…'A prototype test? On the subject?'
'If it survives, it survives. If not…we can always clone another.' Those voices…
'Giovanni won't be pleased if she doesn't survive…'
'He wants to control her and he will control her…'
…A kind voice…a gentle touch…
…'What have they been doing to you, child?' Zavros.
'…It…hurts…help me…' Sashara had collapsed, bruises covering her arms and legs from her last set of tests…
'Hush now, let's clean you up and we'll get you back to your cell…'
…'Launch test battle 4-BI, Golem vs. Sashara.'
'COMMENCING BATTLE'
How I hated that guttural computer voice. But against a Golem…This would be an easy victory for her.
She charged at the Rock Pokemon, teeth clenched. A backflip, and she stood on top of the stony hide, an Ice Beam directed at the creature's heart.
No…
The Golem stood for a few more seconds… Brown blood splashed onto the ground from the remains of its head…Its heart fell from its body, still beating hard…
'What are you doing, B-6?!' Zavros was running the trial. Evidently he had not been expecting this.
'I defeat my opponents my way.'
…Darkness again…noises of pain…but this time, there were more forms…
'All in the name of science, girl…' The band of scientists departed, satisfied smirks crossing their faces. Behind them, Sashara lay in a spreading pool of her own fluids, her clothes torn, bruises covering her arms and legs. The darkness of the blood pointed to one thing…
….Blood once again…a huddled form sobbing in a pool of red, her fist still embedded in her abdomen…
'…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…'
A needle and syringe lay next to her. Shuddering in pain and repressed grief, she picked up the syringe and emptied its contents into her arm. A look of pain passed over her features once more before her face grew blank, her eyes filled with indescribable rage…
…'How many dead?' Zavros looked down in horror at Sashara's half-conscious body.
'28 Pokemon, 17 interns.' The rapist kept his expression masked.
'How…why…?'
'No idea sir.'
He looked at her a few seconds more before his face assumed a resigned expression. 'Inform Giovanni that Subject B-6 will be placed in cryogenic storage until further notice.'
'Why not simply destroy her?'
'Giovanni has his reasons. She was partly created from his genetic materials, after all.'…
It took a while for me to open my eyes.
A meld was never an easy thing to recover from. But what I had seen in there…in Sashara's memories…
Subject B-6…
Sashara…
Sashara was Giovanni's daughter.
TBC