AUTHOR'S NOTE:
I must have rewritten this 8 or 9 times. Seriously. I finally got it to a point where I'm happy with it. I'm not going to give you guys any crappy chapter. If I do, I'll let you know. Anyway thanks for reading, and I can't say how grateful I am for all the Author Alerts I've received and emails. It really tells me that I'm doing a good job, and it's good to know that people are really starting to connect with the characters. It's a good thing…this is only the beginning
* * * *
D R E A D
Chapter 4
* * *
Open Frequency
Somewhere around Fuchsia
"thaguahgudaga….my name is…gagtdaguha…my name is Jessica Mcgdaahughag….
gahguahtdatwa…I'm the last one left..dgatatdgada..my apartment complexdagetadsgaa…
…if anyone can hear .dgatdagtfdagda…I'm at gtadgada…number A34….afdatahgagd.."
* * *
Ted's Underground Radio Show
Somewhere around Pallet Town
"…and I repeat, DO NOT attempt to flag down Military Convoys! they are shooting people on sight!…"
* * *
Open Frequency
Somewhere near The Safari Zone
"gatagaghahga…the military has placed us…gadtadga.d…under ……all gone todgadadagda….shit…agathatheugfnag…uahgduha..what you have to ….IT'S NOT A …what's effecting usgdagtdatdafgadfa….is SOMETHING ELSEagasgaad.a..adfa.."
* * *
WKQZ Gospel
(Last Broadcast)
"..lo and behold, it started with a flash in the sky! the dark demons from above cast upon us the green mist that is turning our brethren against us! Repent, for your sins brothers and sisters, for the end…"
* * *
EMERGENCY BROADCAST NETWORK
-LOOP-
THE FOLLOWING LISTS OF RESCUE SHELTERS ARE NO LONGER ACTIVE…PALLET TOWN GYM…FUCHSIA CITY HIGH SCHOOL….CELADON CITY JR. HIGH…CELADON CITY HIGH SCHOOL…VERMILION NAVY PORT…VERMILION HOSPITAL…CERULEAN NATIONAL GUARD OUTPOST…
* * *
If he concentrated on his breathing, Johnny could imagine his sister.
They were six years old, running through the open fields of the Safari Zone.
She was giggling as her golden pigtails danced in the sunlight. He held her hand tight as the two of them made their way to the large oak tree growing in the field. Oak trees never grew out here in the Safari Zone, the landscape was dominated by wild Acacia. This made their spot special.
In the summer his family would picnic underneath the shade of the Oak Tree and he and his sister would play while their parents sipped wine and held each other, loving their life. If only he could remember the sprawling open landscape of trees and sunlight, it would blot out the burning.
The fierce burning that was bubbling from the pit of his stomach to the outside of his skin. It gurgled and boiled and if only he could imagine his sister and his parents, he would not have to concentrate on such agony.
Thoughts of his sister gave way to a more fierce present.
One day ago Colonel Thompson was striding along the row of Enforcers. Johnny was embarrassed, his shirt was untucked and he had not been properly groomed for an audience with an officer. However the entire base was on Emergency Call and he realized he was not the only soldier looking disheveled.
"…And that's the Pokemon's greatest fear," Thompson growled. "…Is that they have not had to deal with US yet..."
As he pounded the Enforcer Path on his jacket there was a unified war cry.
"Tear their fuckin heads off!" he barked.
Johnny was running.
If he remembered the running, the pounding of his heart, the feeling of excitement…of dread…he could forget the burning.
He remembered climbing into the helicopter, dressed and prepped for war.
Around him were dozens of grey helicopters, the stenciled "Enforcer Unit" on the side unifying them.
In the distance Fuchsia City was a sparkling gem among the darkness. Artillery was pounding the city, creating a spectacular array of red and yellow light. Flames licked the sky and the ground was littered with the twilight of fleeing convoys.
"FIFTEEN SECONDS!" Someone yelled.
Johnny readied his rappelling gear and waited for the signal. Helicopters opened up their .50 caliber machine guns and cleared the area for landing. Johnny's chopper hovered over main street and the rope was thrown out the side.
Don't think about the burning.
"GO, GO, GO!"
He instinctively latched his gear onto the rope and rappelled down to the street. He unhooked himself and readied his rifle. Countless other soldiers rappelled down around him and they began making their way toward City Hall.
Inside, Johnny was terrified.
On the surface he was calm and ready, his body transitioning smooth movements honed in basic training. He was engulfed in a cloud of dust; one brought on by a combination of artillery and rabid Pidgeotto. All around him was the pattering of automatic fire, the hunched soldiers around him disappearing into the mist. The fear building inside his chest was unbearable.
Panting like he ran a marathon, Johnny moved swiftly down the road. The dust was beginning to clear and several hundred yards ahead of him artillery was pounding into the street. Helicopters roared overhead, empty shells raining from the sky. To his right a Charizard blew fire across the street, igniting two soldiers. A quick pivot on his heel and he was firing rounds into the beast's chest. An officer near him was barking orders as they pushed deeper into the city, meeting heavy resistance all the way.
Next to him a line of Humvees rumbled by, one of which was on fire. The gunner at the rear vehicle was unconscious. Johnny paced paced the road quickly, firing his rifle in short bursts.
To his left four soldiers were positioning themselves in front of a door. One of them kicked it open and they moved inside, firepower igniting the room in white light. There was an explosion from behind and he continued forward, springing for cover as a Tauros galloped into the street. He fell behind a pile of debris as more Tauros followed suit. Firepower echoed around him. A grenade exploded and shrapnel struck his leg.
Before he had time to react, someone was pulling him up. He was yanked over the pile of rubble and before him an Onix roared into view. Artillery pounded into the Pokemon as it howled in fury. Behind the Onix a Snorlax crashed through a building. Helicopters revolved around the two monsters, unloading 50 caliber rounds into them.
The Onix roared as the shells pounded into its body. The soldiers on the ground returned fire. Johnny paced the width of the street, firing his rifle at the Onix and Snorlax.
At one point there was an explosion. Something from the Onix…and a baseball sized piece of cement was the last thing he saw.
Now the burning returned.
Johnny awoke on the cot, screaming in agony. His limbs were strapped down, but it wouldn't take much for him to rip through them. He could feel his strength returning in full. What were these people doing? Where was he?
"Doctor! DOCTOR!" a nurse shrieked. She stuck a needle into Johnny's arm and he fell back into slumber.
* * * *
Foxx was sleepy.
He had been for days, but Tooth wouldn't let him sleep.
Foxx had begged and pleaded for Tooth to let him rest. This wasn't fun anymore. It wasn't funny or nice at all. Tooth had gotten really mean and said that if Foxx went to sleep then he wouldn't see his daddy again, ever. Foxx loved daddy and really missed him. He knew his daddy was going away because of the look on mommy's face.
Mommy REALLY missed daddy, he would see her crying sometimes when she thought he wasn't looking. Foxx didn't understand why his daddy was so great that all the other grownups needed him for stuff. He didn't understand why Tooth thought he was so important or why Foxx came second only to his daddy. Most kids would cry, but Foxx was strong. His daddy told him to be strong for mommy, and he was the man of the house. He didn't know what that meant, but if daddy thought it was important, then he should be strong.
That's also why Tooth chose Foxx, because he was strong. Maybe also because he was his daddy's son, but strong came first. Foxx was sure of it. He wanted to make everyone happy, so he had to stay awake. The only problem is that he started doing things and didn't know why he was doing them. He thought he had fallen asleep but instead blinked, and that big man with the medals was asking him stuff.
"I don't remember." Foxx shrugged.
The big man…Foxx remembered daddy calling him a few things that only grownups should say, but 'asshole' wasn't his real name. His real name was Sorge. "Something" Sorge.
"Well this area's for grownups," he said, waving over an officer. "This man here will take you to find your mom." he stood up and whispered something to another big man. Foxx frowned. Secrets don't make friends.
Then again keeping friends awake don't make friends, Foxx thought to himself. He wondered if Tooth heard him. He was worried what Tooth would think, but then again his mommy would be really mad at him for wandering off. The big man led Foxx down a bunch of hallways, and up and down some stairs. Foxx thought this place was a maze, and that they would never get out. There were a bunch of grownups walking around, why didn't they tell him no? Why didn't they say this was place was only for grownups? how did he get all the way back here?
The big man took Foxx by the hand out into the lobby where mommy was frantically speaking to another grownup. She had tears in her eyes. Foxx frowned, it was bad to see mommy like this.
"Here's you kid, mi--"
"OH THANK GOD!"
Mommy scooped Foxx up in her arms and hugged him tight. She pulled away and Foxx could see how much she was crying.
"WHERE'VE YOU BEEN?" she shrieked, her voice choking. Foxx started crying too. It was hard to be strong when mommy was so sad.
"I don't know!" he wailed. "Please let me go to sleep, mommy!"
Mommy said a lot of mean things to the big man and then took Foxx back to his cot. She kept saying things to herself and Foxx thought that maybe Tooth was talking to her, too. Or maybe she was just talking to herself, like Daddy did when he was working on his car. He missed daddy. He wondered where Daddy was, and wondered if Tooth was really being honest when he said Foxx could see Daddy if he had done everything Tooth wanted. But Foxx wasn't sure if he was doing what Tooth wanted, all Tooth said to do was walk around and watch the grownups. That couldn't have been what Tooth wanted…because…
Foxx's head nestled into the cot.
It was so warm and nice.
Tooth said that Daddy was in a scar..a scary..place….
Foxx fell asleep.
* * * *
Ash crawled from the burning wreckage that was his transport and ripped his helmet off.
"Jesus!" he spat. He wiped the drooling blood from his mouth and fell back to his haunches. His head was still fuzzy, otherwise it would have occurred to him that this was not a safe place. Ten seconds ago he was rolling along with two other Humvees back toward the Indigo Plateau when something struck them. Hard.
He looked over at the other two Humvees, both of which were tipped over. Men were sprawled across the road, none of them were moving. Ash slowly climbed to his feet and struggled for balance.
Several yards away an Alakazam appeared. It jumped onto an upturned vehicle and looked lazily around the area.
Ash froze. His hand instinctively went for his sidearm but it wasn't there. He backed up slowly. The Alakzam noticed him and made a swiping motion with its left arm. One of the men pushed themselves up from the ground and watched the Alakazam carefully. It beckoned toward Ash. The man turned around, revealing the exposed muscle tissue on the side of his face. The wound was still fresh, blood seeping from it steadily.
He screeched and sprinted toward Ash.
Ash's hand went to his hip, where his combat knife was still sheathed. The man was almost on him as he drew the knife, and gutted the soldier. Still thrashing, Ash kicked the man away and slashed the knife across his throat. With a low gurgle, the soldier toppled over and fell into his own pool of blood.
Ash looked up just in time to see the rest of the soldiers sprinting toward him, their eyes black and mouths spitting blood.
"FUCK!" Ash yelped, turning to run. A Humvee lifted itself from the ground and landed behind him. Running wasn't an option.
The soldiers screeched, their bloodlust echoing through the dense forest. Ash slashed his knife at the first man, and was tackled by the second. He rolled the man over and stabbed him in the neck, and was pulled off by a third man. They screamed as they began to kick him. Ash cried out and made a desperate attempt to stab at their ankles. The other soldiers piled in and began ripping at Ash's armor, pounding and beating him while the Alakazam watched on--
No, no that wasn't right...
what was happening NOW?
Ash awoke to a thin line of drool bleeding onto his chest. His whole body ached.
"I'm glad to see you're awake." Professor Oak said as he stepped from the shadows.
Ash squinted at him.
"Mr. Prssident?" he asked. "What's…what's going on here?"
"Please," Oak waved him off. "Call me Professor Oak."
Ash looked down at himself. He was stripped to his underwear, and he was levitating. His arms and legs were numb.
Professor Oak grinned warmly.
"Think of it as a force field." he said pleasantly, beckoning toward Ash's body. "The real explanation is far more complicated."
"What am I doing here?"
"It's natural for you to be full of questions," Oak beamed, leaning in toward Ash. For a moment, ice cold dread washed over him.
"Where's the real Professor Oak?" Ash asked finally. He tried not to let his voice quiver.
Oak grinned devilishly.
"You see, Ash…this is why I like you…you have WIT." He paused. "Which is why I chose you."
"Who are you?"
Oak waved a finger.
"While it is natural for you to be curious, you are not in a position to be asking questions."
Ash watched him carefully.
"Foxx just wants to know…" Oak said carefully. "Where you put his teddy bear?"
Ash froze.
"You're…"
Oak's devilish grin grew wider and he narrowed his eyes at Ash.
"Tooth." He said flatly. "But all speech impediments aside, you can call me "Two"."
* * * * *
Clyde slowed the truck to a crawl until he finally cut the engine. Ahead was a line of abandoned vehicles that seemed to stretch for miles.
"Looks like we're walking from here." he said grimly, pulling the shotgun from the passenger seat.
"How far are we from the Plateau?" Duplica asked as she helped Brock out of the truck bed.
Clyde frowned and both ways down the highway.
"With all those road blocks? I don't know. Maybe 10 miles?"
"Where are all the people?" Cindy asked. She craned her neck to see over the line of cars.
"They took off." Clyde answered. He slung the shotgun over his shoulder. "To be honest I don't blame them. After what we've been hearing on the radio…"
"I don't wanna talk about it." Brock said finally. "How can we be guaranteed that nobody's going to shoot us when we get there?"
"Because I'm an Enforcer. I AM the fucking army." Clyde replied. "And besides, they should've figured out by now that it's not a virus."
"How can you be sure, though?" Duplica asked. "Those people--"
"Isolated incident." Clyde shot back. "It was an Alakazam that did it to those people."
"I've been a gym trainer for years," Brock said firmly. He hoisted himself against the side of the truck for support. His bandages were starting to bleed through. "But I have never seen shit like that in my entire life. You think that Alakazam could do a hypno-attack on an entire village?"
"I don't know!" Clyde spat. "Fuck!…let's just get going. Are you gonna debate all day or come with us?"
"I'll be fine." Brock growled. Together they started making their way through the maze of cars.
"How you feelin', babe?" Duplica whispered.
"Like I've been stabbed with a buncha' thumbtacks." Brock grunted. He threw his arm around Duplica for support. "I'll be fine."
"I'm proud of you, baby." She added. "My big, strong man.."
Brock smiled.
"Cut the chatter." Clyde hissed. He climbed onto the hood of a vehicle, shotgun at the ready. He peered over the maze of cars ahead of them.
"We're not alone." he said softly.
Brock and Duplica exchanged glances. Cindy gripped her bat nervously. Clyde stepped carefully over the hood of the car onto the next, gripping his shotgun carefully. Brock reached into the seat of his pants and touched his pistol.
"FREEZE!"
Three men stepped out from behind the cars. Clyde's eyes widened as he kept the shotgun pointed at the man in the middle. All three of the wore gas masks.
"It's alright, guys, I'm a sol--"
"I'LL TELL YOU TO OPEN YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!" one of them spat. "HAND OVER YOUR WEAPONS, NOW!"
"Let's just calm down!" Clyde said angrily. "What outfit are you guys with?"
"We're from the Plateau," one of the men said. He flipped up his gas mask. His face was caked in dried blood. "Just hand over your weapons and everything will be fine."
"Brock, let's--"
Brock shushed Duplica. Clyde stepped down from the hood of the car and watched the men carefully. Each were clad in hazard suits and were carrying assault rifles.
"If you're from the Plateau, what are you doing here?" Clyde asked.
"Put your fucking GUN DOWN!" the soldier demanded. Clyde glanced over at Brock, who had concealed his pistol. He slowly placed the shotgun on the asphalt.
"What are you doing here?" Clyde repeated carefully. One of the soldiers snatched his shotgun while the one with his visor flipped up frowned.
"We're infantry at the Plateau…we got a tip that it's gonna get bad there…really quick."
"It's 'bad' everywhere, what the fuck are you talking about?"
"Bad as in a fucking army of Pokemon are headed that way." the soldier said. "I don't know…I know a guy working around the 'higher-ups'..they're keeping really hush-hush about it, but after I saw them fortifying the front lawn and moving people to the bomb shelter.." he looked at his comrades. "We just took off. We're heading for the Seafoam Islands."
"Shit's gonna be bad there, too." Brock pointed out.
"Did we fucking ask you?" one of the soldiers grunted. Brock looked at Clyde.
"Well, you guys got our gun…how about letting us go?"
The soldier without his mask nodded slowly, "Yeah, sure. We--"
"Hold on." the other soldier said. "Give us the women."
"You're kidding me." Clyde spat.
"I didn't ask for your fucking opinion, asswipe!" the soldier shot back. "Give us your fucking women!"
"What the fuck, Barry?" the revealed soldier cried out. "What are we doing? let's just fucking leave!"
"Shut up, Kyle!"
Kyle frowned and gave them a helpless look.
"Rob, get the green haired one."
"Touch her and I'll rip your fucking head off." Brock growled. Kyle paused and looked at Barry, who readied his rifle.
"How about I just shoot you and take your woman? how's that sound, you fat fuck?"
"Barry--"
Barry turned his head.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP, KY-"
Clyde threw his knife into Barry's throat and was on Rob before he knew what had happened. He kicked Rob in the chest and the man sprawled backward, firing the gun into the air. It clattered away when he hit the ground and Clyde sat on his chest, punching the man repeatedly in the face.
"HOLY SHIT--" Kyle cried out.
Brock pulled his pistol out and pointed it at him.
"Don't you fucking move!" He hissed.
Clyde stood up, rubbing his knuckles. He spat on Rob's limp body and wiped the blood from his face with the scruff of his shirt.
"Piece of shit." he muttered. He looked over at Brock and exchanged glances with Cindy.
"What do we do with him?" Cindy asked solemnly.
Kyle swallowed hard, holding his hands up.
"I was never..with those guys," he said hurriedly. "I…y'know…our plan…we just wanted to get out…"
"Then get the fuck out." Clyde muttered, stabbing a thumb behind himself. "Get the fuck out of here, Kyle."
Kyle nodded and ran away, picking through the cars as he went. Duplica held onto Brock tightly.
"What if.."
"No." Brock said firmly.
"Do we still head to the Plateau?" Cindy asked. Clyde picked up an assault rifle and tossed the other one to Duplica. He nodded.
"There's nowhere else." he said grimly. Then, more quietly. "Deserters…fuckin cowards.."
* * * * *
When Johnny awoke the pain was gone.
In fact, he felt great.
He felt better than he had ever felt in his life.
"Vital signs are normal," the nurse above him said softly, jotting notes onto a clipboard. "Doctor, he's awake."
A weary looking old man stepped over Johnny's cot. With a gloved hand he took a light to Johnny's eyes and checked his pupils.
"Son, if I'da known what they were gonna do to you, I never would've done it…I swear to God.." he murmured.
"What happened?"
The nurse and doctor exchanged glances.
"You don't remember?"
"No sir."
The doctor sighed and began unstrapping Johnny's limbs from the cot.
"You were brought into ER with severe head trauma, broken ribs, some internal bleeding, and third degree burns. During surgery you were clinically dead for 30 seconds. We still need to run some tests to examine the exact amount of brain damage you may have suffered…but from the looks of things, you can't tell a damned thing."
"Jesus." Johnny breathed.
The doctor nodded and forced a smile.
"But like I said, from the looks of things, you don't have anything to worry about." he reached out and turned Johnny's head. "It's some kind of…miracle."
"A miracle of science," the nurse said firmly. She sat down next to Johnny and ran a hand over his buzzed head.
"How do you feel?"
"…Really great, actually." Johnny said, sitting up. He looked around. The ICU was full of wounded soldiers. The ones next to him weren't moving. Were they...?
"Don't look at them," the nurse said flatly. She waved the doctor off. He shook his head and made his leave. "Johnny, is it?"
"Yes'm."
"Johnny…I work for Mr. Giovanni. I'm sure you've heard of him?"
"Yes."
"Yes, well…Mr. Giovanni owns his own pharmaceutical company, and with it he has the world's best scientists and engineers." she glanced at her clipboard then back to him. "When you were rolled into ER, you had little chance of surviving, even after surgery. This is what made you a perfect candidate for our GES Program."
"G.E.S…?" Johnny asked, puzzled. The nurse smiled warmly.
"Genetically Enhanced Soldier," she said. "A serum that we injected you with. Think of it as a permanent performance enhancer."
Johnny grimaced and looked at his hands.
"What'd you do to me?"
The nurse took his hands in hers.
"We made you faster and stronger than ever before," she said softly, smiling. Johnny watched her carefully then stole a glance at the dead soldiers laying in cots beside him. He recognized them.
"What about them?"
She frowned.
"WHAT ABOUT THEM?" Johnny demanded. "Did you give it to them too?"
"Yes." she admitted. "The effects…well…Johnny, you have to understand. It changes your genetic code. The strain on your body…not everyone can handle it."
"So you just took a chance on me? I was just a guinea pig?"
"You were going to die otherwise."
Johnny swung his legs over the cot and stepped up. The nurse backed away.
"Johnny, you need to calm down."
"FUCK YOU! YOU WERE GOING TO KILL ME!"
Johnny grabbed the nurse by the throat. The strain on his muscles felt good. His hand gripped firmly around her jugular. This all felt…natural…he wanted this. He wanted to hurt her. It was nothing short of orgasmic. She gagged. A soldier rushed in and grabbed him.
Johnny swung the man away and turned to face him. The soldier unsheathed his nightstick and swung. Johnny grabbed it and broke the soldier's jaw with one swing. He threw the soldier back and began to beat him in the ribs, feeling each bone crush under his knuckles. This was…
this was something else…
he loved this…
he NEEDED this…
It took four soldiers to pull him off and sedate him again.
* * * *
Ian Surge was crashing.
He had not slept for nearly 72 hours, and the caffeine pills he had been popping were about to wear off.
"Sir?"
He turned around to face Lt. Hopkins, an oddly proportioned young man whom in light of the current predicament, had assumed the role of lieutenant very quickly.
"Yes, Lieutenant?"
"We've lost all contact with Units 303, 304 and 305."
Ian rubbed his face, his brain slowly piecing the information together.
"You're telling me that our assault on Saffron has come to a halt?"
"Theoretically they could still be fighting…but our communications with them has ceased."
Ian nodded.
"Walk with me." He said tiredly. The two men strode down the hallway toward the command room. Ian was supposed to be there in the first place, but he had left to get himself some coffee. Normally he would have somebody do this for him, but he was struggling to stay awake and right not this was crucial.
"Who sent you to inform me this?"
"Colonel Thompson…sir. He was in charge of the assault on Saffron. At 0500 he shipped Two units of Enforcers to Fuchsia."
Ian stepped through the door to the command room and gave Hopkins a hard look.
"I gave no such order."
Hopkins returned the look and licked his lips nervously.
"With all due respect, sir…I saw you do it."
Ian looked at Hopkins and then around the control room.
"When and where?" he asked.
"0400…in the west conference room."
Ian froze. He was tired, but not that tired. He had been in the control room the entire time monitoring the assault on Saffron and fortifying defenses around Indigo.
"I want this place on lockdown!" He said finally. "Nobody comes in, nobody comes out!" He pointed at Hopkins. "That means you, Lieutenant."
"Sir?"
"What was I doing? What was I wearing?" Ian hissed.
"I don't understand…you were wearing what you always were…wearing?"
"I want those troops out of Fuchsia, now!" Ian demanded. He strode over to the row of computers where the techs were putting in commands furiously.
"Send the order for them to withdraw!"
"They're withdrawing, sir," the techs replied. "But they're in pretty bad shape…most of them are no longer combat ready."
"FUCK!" Ian grunted. "Get me on the overhead."
The tech flipped a switch and nodded.
"All available units," Ian spoke. "This is Ian Surge speaking. Return to the Indigo Plateau immediately, that's an order."
"Sir?" Hopkins asked sheepishly. "What's going on? why you withdrawing all the troops?"
"Because that's exactly what "it" wants," Ian said. "Whatever "it" was gave the order to send all the available Enforcers out of the base and leave us wide open to attack."
"Sir…there aren't any pokemon within 50 miles of here."
Ian rubbed his chin and turned to an open laptop. When he tapped it, the screen displayed a map of the island displaying live activity. Several red dots were progressing quickly toward the Plateau.
"Not anymore, Lieutenant."
* * *
Thoughts? Liked it? Hated it? Lemme know, and thanks for reading as always!