Chapter 11: Union
John finished with the computer in the local library and powered it off.
There, now they shouldn't be able to trace the pictures, he thought, stowing the memory stick back in his pocket.
BOOM!
The very floor of the library shook, but not one person rose from where they were, though several uttered soft sighs of hopelessness.
They're getting worse, John thought.
The news had at last confirmed that rifts had periodically opened in at least five other places across the world; Ireland, Japan, Egypt, Greece, and Hawaii, and that certain groups of creatures seemed slightly more prevalent in different areas.
The town's quarantine was still in effect, and young people kept disappearing. John once caught a glimpse of a small group of people breaking down the door of a house and dragging a girl and her parallel from it into a truck.
This can't go on like this. The pictures should definitely do some good; most people know their kids are being kidnapped, and there's nothing worse than an angry parent. But even so, if something isn't done soon…
John thought for a moment.
I'll give it a week. If action hasn't been taken to get these kids freed by then, I think it's time we all group together to try and look out for each other. The only problem is, the same sense that makes most of the Touched hide away will make it very hard for me to track them down either.
A week came and went. It took just three days for the news to be lit up with the pictures John had posted, and as expected, the town's parents were far beyond livid. Within two days of the news story, there was a demonstration in front of the town hall demanding that the Guardsmen release the children and leave the town at once. Naturally the mayor was powerless to help, and Guardsmen turned up to break up the demonstration before it turned into a riot. Before long the town had been reinforced with full fledged military personnel, which discouraged further protests.
Time's up, John thought at the end of the week.
He glanced at the fire breathing creature, which was sleeping on the carpet, still recovering from its wounded leg. He went to the other room and found Monozu staring at a book John had left open on his bed. John sat down next to him.
"So what d'you think we should do? How am I supposed to find the Touched so we don't all get rounded up like animals?"
"I've been thinking," Monozu started, "how do you suppose the big guy in the other room can tell the difference between someone who's been Touched and someone who hasn't? He must be able to tell or he would have gone after you again."
"I dunno, why don't you ask him?"
"Eh, I'm busy reading, go ask him yourself."
"And how do you expect me to understand him?" John said, indignant.
Monozu sighed. "Alright, let me try something."
John felt Monozu try to contact his mind, and for only the first time, felt Monozu transfer some knowledge to him.
"What did you do?"
"Just go talk to him." And with that, Monozu turned and went back to reading.
John got up, a little confused and sat down next to the creature, which was starting to stir. When it woke, John asked, "So, big guy, I need to know how you can tell the difference between someone who's been bitten and someone who hasn't."
The creature growled softly without opening its eyes all the way, "For the tenth time, I'm called a Typhlosion. If you don't start using my proper name, I'm just going to start ignoring you."
John gave a little start. "Well, then Typhlosion, that's not very grateful now is it?"
The creature sat up quickly and looked John in the eye. "Since when can you understand me?"
"Since literally thirty seconds ago. Apparently Monozu's been holding out on me this whole time."
"Well, that's a dark type for you. I once worked with a dark type for a year. They're the kinds of pokemon that can be a great friend, the scum of the earth, or anything in between."
John didn't quite know what to make of this, so he just shook his head and returned to what he had originally asked about. "So what's the difference between someone who's been Touched and someone who hasn't? And why are you all so intent on going after kids, while leaving adults alone?"
"Well," Typhlosion started, rising into his hunched sitting position, "there are a number of small things, but the most noticeable one is that they smell different. Young ones smell strongly of… something, which drives us crazy. By the way, I don't believe I ever apologized for that bite I gave you."
"Forget about it," John said, waving his hand through the air, "Continue."
Typhlosion nodded. "Well, older ones don't have that smell nearly as strongly as younger ones; and we can control ourselves around humans hat have reached maturity, but we are plainly out of our minds if we catch the scent of a young one. As soon as we bite one of you though, the smell goes away, and you don't smell the same anymore. Actually, you smell as much like a pokemon as a human afterward."
"So why don't people's parallels go after other kids?"
"You mean the pokemon like the Monozu in the other room that stay with a single human? I cannot say. They should smell young ones just the same, but they aren't driven to bite others."
John mother suddenly rounded the corner. "What are you two talking about in…"
She stopped as she saw who John was talking to. She put a hand to her forehead and leaned against the doorframe. "So you can talk to the other ones now, too?"
"Apparently."
She sighed, something she often did when John associated with the creatures; the pokemon as Typhlosion had called them. "What if they," She waved a hand toward the window, "are right? What if this is a disease which affects peoples' minds?"
"I know it isn't because I just know it isn't and because it would be all over the news if they had found some kind of bacteria or something."
John's mother looked unconvinced, and John didn't try to pursue the conversation further so as to let his high strung mother relax.
That night…
"Alright Monozu, spill it, you can tell the difference between regular people and Touched by the smell, right? So tell me who around me's been Touched."
"How am I supposed to know? The only people who've ever been near me are you, your mom, Cindy, and her mom, besides the time I got carted off and stuck with needles."
"Just drop it alright? Can you maybe use my memories to tell me who they are?"
Monozu referenced John's memories. "Your kind don't have a strong enough sense of smell to perceive it, so that didn't do anything but waste time."
"Boy, you really have an attitude problem today, don't you? Is there any way around that?"
Monozu thought for a moment. "Maybe, but even if there is, how do you plan to get a Touched away so you can tell them to meet you, and when and where do you plan to meet. No, wait, let me answer that for you; you hadn't thought that far ahead."
"Well I don't hear you coming up with any ideas!"
"The woods behind the elementary school, just after classes end for the day. A bunch of people go by there to pick up younger siblings sometimes, so the Touched can just blend right in with the crowd on the way back there. It's one of the few places in town that the military can't be; anywhere near a school zone. People don't want armed men around their kids. People can bring their parallels if they're small enough to fit in back packs or what not, and can hide them near the meeting spot on their way to class."
John was impressed. "That's… actually a decent plan, but what if… there's a snitch or something?"
"There won't be. If anyone ratted us out, they'd be in as much trouble as us, and I can't see kids just giving themselves up to be put away in a cell for months for no reason at all."
"Alright… but this is all based on being able to find the Touched in the first place. We don't even know how many are left."
"True, but we may have a previously untapped recourse, but I'm not sure if that will work, so don't get your hopes up too soon. Anyway, here's how we should be able to find who's been bitten, at your school for a start…"
They spoke late into the night, formulating how to unify the Touched into a single body.
"United we stand,"
"Divided, we get rounded up like criminals."