'Proton, five minutes. You're out for the week,' Archer barked his orders only moments after he and Ariana walked back into the small apartment. She had slipped past him in the doorway, eager to check up on how the previous half hour had played out in her absence.

'Why?'

There it was, clear as day. Boredom. Proton didn't even look up from scraping a mysterious substance from underneath his fingernails. Three small daggers were firmly wedged into the wall opposite, each entry point only millimetres apart.

'We're starting small. Local. I need a detailed report of Ilex through to the far end of Union Cave. Anything useful, hidden chambers, old houses, you name it. I want it reported and mapped. Every last fucking inch of it, you got that?'

'Yeah, yeah,' Proton stood up then, moving for the daggers. 'A week?'

'Back by next Thursday. Report on Friday.'

'Fine,' he said coolly. 'What's the catch?'

'No catch. Get it done.'

Archer should have known what was coming next. He should have been prepared but his mind was somewhere else; his first mistake. Proton had him pinned to the wall effortlessly and there was no point fighting it. Archer tried to look bored, but found himself unable to push past shock. Proton noticed.

'What's the catch, Boss?' he cackled, dagger scraping along the skin protecting Archer's jugular.

'Back by Wednesday. Report still in on Friday.'

'Where's my shit?'

'Where you fucking left it.'

'Which is?'

'Top shelf, front bedroom.'

'Thanks, Boss.' Proton flashed his trademark grin – the one accompanied by dead eyes – and stepped away from the Head Executive. The only damage done was to Archer's chin, a small nick from the dagger no bigger than a shaving mishap. He stayed against the wall, arms folded over his chest, waiting for Proton to emerge from the bedroom with supplies for the week.

'Full maps. Full reports. I want every last fucking rock overturned.'

'I already said, yes Boss.'

'Good. Get out, Executive.'

'Fuck you too, Archer.' Proton said, surprisingly upbeat as he left the apartment. The door slammed behind him.

Archer slumped until he was crouching, head resting in his hands. He ran a thumb over the cut, the already dry blood flaking off at his touch. He ran his hands through his hair and stood up, then moved to lock the door from the inside. It wasn't until then that he realised he could feel his heart, still beating far too fast. There was no way to tell how the week would play out. It was his job to make the tough decisions and Ariana had forced him to make one of the most difficult yet. Sending Proton out into the field, alone, for a week would yield results. But while he had ensured his fellow Executives their safety, he had put a much wider audience at risk. Archer finally let his hand fall from the lock as he began to move down the hall.

'He's gone,' he said, leaning casually against the doorframe to Silver's bedroom. Ariana was sitting on the bed with the boy beside her, while Petrel stood just inside. Archer frowned as he reached over, forcing him to look up.

'Him?'

'Yeah, just playing.' Playing. There was no other word to describe what Proton had been doing only minutes earlier. Archer had no idea what he did to the Rattata before skinning them alive, nor did he want to know until he had no other choice. He swatted Petrel's hand away. 'What now?'

'I'm not sharing my room,' Silver spoke up then, lifting his head from Ariana's shoulder. He wore Giovanni's scowl.

'Well, the Boss-man says you have to,' Petrel said, gesturing to Archer with his thumb.

'He's not my boss.'

'He kind of is.'

'So I'm kind of in Team Rocket? Where's my Pokémon?'

'Smart ass.'

'Stop encouraging him,' Archer said, interrupting before either of them could get carried away. He looked to Ariana for help, but she was mindlessly running her fingers through Silver's hair as she stared out the window. Lost in thought, he realised. No, planning. Her forehead only creased when she was struggling to come up with an answer to a problem. 'Not my idea, kiddo.'

'I don't want to share my room,' Silver repeated. Surely Ariana would hear him. She had fought the others to get him his own room in the first place. Two small bedrooms could not comfortably accommodate four adults and a child. She had argued with Archer, with Petrel, had slapped Proton, hard across the face, to get him his own room. She wouldn't let Archer take that away.

'Sorry, baby. Things change.'

'I hate you all!' Silver shouted, unable to think of anything else to say. He dove off the bed and raced for the door, but was stopped by Archer reaching and grabbing him by the waist. 'I hate you, I hate it here, I want to go home, or outside more, I hate it!' He was screeching by then, his small fists hitting anything he could reach as Archer held him off the floor. Ariana stood up when he nodded, indicating his next move. He waited until the boy had stopped thrashing about so much, stepped forward, and dropped him back onto the bed. Silver picked up the pillow and dragged it over his head, curling into the wall.

'Baby, come on.'

'Go away!'

'No.'

'Go away!' His voice was shrill.

'Baby we need to talk about this properly, so you know why we're changing our minds.'

'Because you hate me and you hate it here like I do but you wish you'd left me in Saffron City!'

'Never,' Ariana said. She was sitting beside him by then, rubbing small circles on his back. 'Stop being silly and let us talk to you like a grown-up. We're all going to tell the truth this time, you're old enough.'

'Really?' It was muffled, but it was a response.

'Yeah,' she said. Petrel bit his lip to stop from laughing as she shook her head, giving the two men her most vicious glare. Silver sniffed and sat up, slowly, pressing his back into the corner. 'It's really important that you listen, and you don't argue anyone with this one, okay?'

'Okay,' he agreed after a brief hesitation.

'Archer's going to sleep in this room from now on. We're not sure, but we think someone from Kanto might have found out about you and we want you safe,' Ariana said, her voice sweeter than Sinnoh honey. 'You know we want you safe, don't you?' Silver nodded. 'And you do trust Archer as much as me?' Another nod. 'Good boy. We'll bring one of the other beds in here, and it'll be a bit more cramped but you'll be safe.'

'Why are they looking for me now? We haven't lived in Kanto forever. What if they find me?'

'They won't. And if anyone tries to hurt you, baby, they'll pay.' Ariana watched his face as he accepted her words. It almost broke her heart lying to him, again, but she was nothing if not determined to keep him safe.