"What's happening to Evan right now...?" Mike asked
"Where's my brother," Evan growled, too angry to notice that his voice had changed a bit.
From a nearby hallway, Evan began to hear voices, coupled with footsteps. He turned towards the door of the room, and saw a pair of figures approaching. One was armed, the other held nothing but a briefcase. As the two entered the room, the briefcase-wielding figure beckoned.
"Evan Varion, please come with us."
Evan was hesitant.
"Where is my little brother?"
"Safe."
He didn't move or answer for a couple seconds, instead staring-glaring?-at the man. It was long enough that the guard made to grab Evan, but he noticed and calmly said "I'll cooperate. But I'm expecting to see him after we finish."
With a hint of sadness in his voice, he added, "Please don't ruin that expectation."
The briefcase-wielder nodded. "We will try."
Meh. This mental examination was among the most boring tests he'd ever taken. It would help if his examiner spoke with even a hint of emotion.
"And what do you see here, Evan?"
Evan barely glanced at the Rorschach test, before answering, "There's a tree on each side."
"What else?"
Evan's patience was wearing thin. "Come on. How much longer before I get to see Mark?"
"I keep telling you, Evan. When we finish with your mental and physical exams. After that, we'll let the two of you see each other."
"Promise?" Evan asked, looking up hopefully at the examiner, tears in his eyes.
"Promise," said the examiner. Evan noticed that he did take down a note as he said this, but thought nothing of it.
The examiner seemed lost in thought for a moment, and then pulled out a small booklet.
"If you could, fill this out, please. It's a mandatory IQ test. If you would like, I could leave the room..."
"No, it's fine," he said as he started filling it out. About halfway through the test he suddenly stopped, thoroughly stumped by one of the questions, and apparently quite surprised that he was. "I'm allowed to skip and come back, right?"
"Yes."
Evan nodded and left the question blank. A few questions later he muttered "Oh! Of course!" and filled in an answer to the one he had left blank.
It was about eighteen minutes later that he finished the test. The examiner took the booklet, nodded, and said, "Thank you. You will be escorted to your physical in just a second."
As the examiner turned to leave, he grabbed another employee on the way out.
"I have his results here. Triple-check these, we might have a possible Blue here."
The employee nodded, and dashed away with the files.
"Blue?" Evan asked.
The examiner realized that Evan had heard, and turned around slowly. "Um, it's nothing. Uh, goodbye, Evan."
With that, he dashed out the door.
Evan's physical had been just slightly less boring than the mental. It was essentially a glorified doctor's visit. They had taken some blood-there was nearly a struggle over that-and fur samples. Then, they had sent him back to the waiting room. He had anxiously waited for what felt like hours. Eventually, however, they had finally sent someone down.
Two people, in fact. They were chatting with each other, and the smaller, who wasn't looking where they were going, appeared to be a mu...
"MARK!" Evan nearly barked happily. Mark looked up, smiled, and ran over to Evan, hugging him tightly as though this was the last time they would ever see each other.
As far as Evan knew, it was.
"Evan?" Tom asked, causing the Jolteon mutate in question to cringe.
"Yes...?" he slowly asked.
"Can I ask a few questions? Mark can tag along too."
Evan smiled and nodded, pulling Mark off of him so they could walk.
While they were walking, Evan looked up at Tom.
"You already know my name... What's yours?"
"Call me Tom."
Evan nodded. "I have some questions of my own, is that okay?"
"Sure! We can take turns."
"Okay!"
They arrived at the same room Tom and Mark just came from. This time, Tom closed the door.
"You first, Tom."
"Alright. Before I start- Mark. Do you mind if I share your answers with Evan?
Mark shook his head. He did not mind.
"Okay. Evan, Mark reported a feeling of hyperactivity prior to mutating. Did you feel any unusual feelings or mood swings?"
"I actually didn't feel anything at all. Now that I think about it, I did seem a bit fast-and I mean physically-but I think I was knocked out before the worst of it." Evan guessed what Tom was going to ask next and added "And I'd rather not discuss what happened with Mark here."
"I see... Alright, your question?"
"Hmm... Any other sibling duos, like Mark and me?"
"No, not in the US. Other countries, maybe. I don't know. So anyway, your friend-"
"Daryl." Mark interrupted before Tom could screw up the name again.
"Daryl, yes. What do you know about his Mutation?"
"I assume Mark couldn't tell you much..." Evan said as he looked at Mark, who nodded. "It took place after school. I know Daryl because we both take the city bus to get home. Daryl's final class is gym, and-and I'm just going from what he told me-his skin felt really dry even after he finished his shower, but he was afraid to tell anyone, and when he was getting out of the bus, he collapsed to the ground, and I got off the bus just before the doors closed (the driver, already being late, didn't stay to make sure Daryl was fine." Evan proceeded to tell Tom and Mark what he saw, in as much detail as he could, but only the first two seconds of it or so before Mark interrupted asking Evan to stop. Evan nodded and stopped.
"Alright. Do you know how far away from you Daryl lives?"
"He gets off 27 stops-about 4 and a half miles-before I do, but then I catch a second bus and go 13 stops-two miles. And yes, I counted the stops." Mark giggled at that.
"I see. And what about the school that he goes to- I'm assuming you attend the same school?"
"Mhm."
"How far away from your house is it?"
"I've never tried to keep track," Evan realized. "When I counted stops, I got a total of 54 stops along the two routes." He did some math in his head. "Nine miles."
"Hm... sounds like geography could play a small part in it... Anyway, your next question, then?"
"What happens if I fail either exam?"
I know I will... he thought to himself. Jolteon can clump its fur together into needle-like forms... If I gained that ability, that could be dangerous...
"If you fail, then you'll be held here. I'm not too sure how long it will be. Mark passed both, but if you fail, I can push for the two of you to be held here together, but I don't know how well that'll go.
"I have one more question- one that is completely off the record. It may end up being a question the two of you won't want to answer, and I won't force you to. Do you want to hear the question?"
"Yes?" asked Evan.
Tom's voice became hushed. "That night, there were reports of a purple light on your property. Do you know what that was?"
Evan sighed. Nick... Can you hear me? "You won't tell anyone, correct?" he whispered.
"It's just a curiosity of mine. I can promise that any secret you tell will stay with me."
Yeah, I hear you. And vice versa?
Yep.
"Evan?" Mark asked, causing the Jolteon to realize the silence in the room.
"Yes, I know what that was... It involves our cousin."
"We have a cousin?" a surprised Mark asked.
"Mhm. Didn't I ever tell you Nick's-"
Mew, he telepathically corrected.
What?
I've given up trying to live as a human. I'm just too different. But don't call me a Mutate. I would rather not be associated with those freaks in the first place.
Evan stared ahead silently. That had hurt more than the realization that he had mutated in the first place.
"Yes?" Tom asked.
"Huh?" Evan asked as he realized he had been staring. "O-oh... Sorry..."
You don't know yet, do you? Evan asked.
Know what?
Mark and I mutated.
This time Nick was silent. Then: I'm sorry...
Until I saw Daryl, I agreed with you, actually. And I'm still calling you Nick here. I don't want you getting captured.
Evan could have sworn he heard a laugh from Nick, or Mew as he apparently wanted to be called now.
Tell them what you want. It'll take more than that to catch me!
Evan sighed. "Typical of him."
Mark was confused, and said nothing. Tom, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright? You've just been kind of sitting there, muttering to yourself."
"I just got permission to explain, so I'll take it from the top. Yes, Mark, we do have a cousin. His name is Nick... or it used to be. He was the cause of the purple light you asked about, Tom." Evan sttopped to take a breath. "He transformed into a Mew hybrid, and detests the term 'Mutate'. He doesn't want to be associated with the other Mutates, or 'freaks,' as he described them before I had to kindly remind him of Mark's and my own mutations."
"Lucky!" Mark said suddenly.
Evan nodded and continued his explanation, after explaining Mew's transformation.
"A Mew? I had guessed that you were using telepathy of some sort, but I assumed an Espeon."
"The weirdest part is that I felt the changes too… The feelings got stronger as it progressed."
"Some sort of psychic link, then?"
"Mhm. Also, did you know that Sandshrew, Eevee, Jolteon, and Mew were all introduced in the same generation of Pokémon?"
"Yeah, I've actually played the games since I was half your age. So, do you have any more questions for me?"
"Yeah, actually." Evan looked at Mark. "I'd like to ask this one alone, please. Could you wait just outside?" He looked at Tom. "If that's okay with you?"
"Perfectly fine."
"Okay, Evan..." Mark said, hugging him once more, but once Evan pulled him off, he walked out of the room, slumping down by the door, which Evan closed behind him.
"After my IQ exam, the examiner said something about a possible Blue. What does that mean?"
"The people who work in the psych department use all kinds of code words for different personality types. I've met Tigers, Waffles, and even Oranges, but I've never heard the term 'Blue' passed around. I'm just as baffled as you are."
Evan sighed. "Oh well, it was worth a shot. You have anything more for me?"
"Not really. Just wish your Mew friend well for me, alright?"
Evan sighed. "I do have one more question."
"Ask away."
"When they came for me and Mark, I must have been in the middle of mutating, but I was trying to keep Mark safe."
"That's what they told me. Did something happen that they didn't mention?"
"Quite possibly. When one of the men entered the room, I tackled him to the floor, and punched him a few times. (In retrospect, probably a bad idea, but that's not the point). I took a moment's pause, and the person behind me used the opportunity to shoot me with a taser."
"I heard about that. And then you zapped him, right?"
"Mhm. I could feel the electricity course through my body–I'm guessing to where my body stores energy–and then I felt it travel upwards through my body to my hands… But the strangest part is that the only part that hurt was the prick of the taser barbs."
"Most Mutates have one innate attack move at their disposal. We have one downstairs who can use Poison Tail in the same tank as one who can use Crush Claw. Honestly, those two in the same tank isn't an optimal match..."
"...And why exactly doesn't the guy in charge of assigning tanks have access to a Pokédex?" Evan laughed. "They're a Seviper and Zangoose, right?"
"Yeah. The weird thing is, they collaborate some decent escape plans, and have almost gotten away from us two or three times. I do honestly hope they get out sometime soon...
"Anyway, tanks are assigned solely by the order in which Mutates arrive here. That's the only determining factor."
"I see... And… uh… I guess I'm out of questions."
"I as well. About now, they ought to be ready with your results. I hope you don't take it the wrong way when I say I hope to never see either of you again."
"I know what you mean. I hope I don't have to see you again either…" Evan said, forcing a smile.
Time to get this over with… Evan sighed inaudibly.
Get what over with?
The results of my exams… No doubt I failed at least one of them…
Exams?
…You're lucky to be free, Mew.
Mew, he corrected.
Huh? I thought–
Yes, I know. But there's simply nothing left from my human life to go back to now… I guess I've accepted what happened…
Family?
Threatened to turn me in if I took one step closer. There's always you and Mark…
Captured.
Is that what you meant by exams?
Mhm. If I'm deemed sane and safe, I can return to society. Same applies to Mark.
Need–
Don't even think there, Mew. I don't want you anywhere near this place.
Well… If you say so…
I do say so.
I'll be listening if you change your decision.
Evan sighed. This would be a long stay…
"Evan Varion?"
Evan looked up from the floor. They'd reached the lobby already? He hadn't notice.
"Yeah?"
"Here are your results..."
8