Chapter 13
'I ... healed you', I was in total awe, 'Wait the prophecy'?
'What, oh, it's nothing anyway, you should call Karen to go back'.
'Oh, right'. I pressed the communication button on the data-brace. "Karen"?
"Nick, the backup will be there shortly just gives us a minute".
"No need Karen ... we're done here".
"You are? Wow, Nick I must say I'm impressed. Hold on a sec". There was a brief silence and after a few seconds, a portal opened right in front of us. Terra, Dallin, and I walked in and found ourselves in Karen's office.
"So, Nick, what happened". There was a brief pause.
"Hmph, you wouldn't believe me if I told you".
- - - - - - - - - -
One month later.
Time seemed to fly by. I continued my work all throughout the month. I finally received my first paycheck. To my surprise they were paying me minimum wage, but what was I to expect when they were already giving me a home and food. It was still more than enough to live by. I was happy.
I could tell Terra, Dallin, and I was getting closer and closer to each other, Terra especially. I could tell because the first few days I got home from work, Terra would be wide awake on the bed staring at the door. After a few more days, Terra would sleep right beside the door waiting for me again. After a week, she resorted to waiting at the door wide awake. Now I can tell she doesn't like me, she loves me. Everyday I came home from work, Terra would burst through the front door, pin me up against the wall and start kissing me.
Dallin always seemed to be getting less nervous everyday. I still remember the first day I came home from work to find Terra and Dallin cuddling with each other. I always wondered how they became friends so fast. I never asked them, however, I was happy with the way they were and I didn't want to change that.
Usually two or three times a week, there would be an alpha chipped pokemon that was unable to be captured. Usually, we'd be sent off with either a few dechippers or some of the tamed pokemon the organization had in stock. I started to become good friends with some of them.
The phone rang. "Yes, Karen", I knew it was her I rarely ever got calls from anyone else.
"Nick, Professor MacKenzie would like to talk to you. He says that he's finished testing the alpha chips and he's came to a conclusion".
"Oh, really", I had been waiting to find out how the alpha chips worked, "I'll be there, thanks Karen bye". I hung up.
I made my way to the professor's lab.
"Professor, you here"?
"Over here, Nick". He was in the very corner of his lab.
"You wanted to see me about the chip".
"Yes, I may of figured out how it works. Now listen hard because this is complex. When the chip gets inserted it infiltrates the nervous system sending messages to the brain. The messages sent to the brain overrides a major brain wave relaying and redirecting thoughts. The major brain wave reconfigures the other brain waves causing it to change the way it thinks. In other words, the chip isn't telling what the pokemon what to do but what to think". I just stared with my jaw dropped. I couldn't believe they went to all this work to create such a thing.
"That's just inhumane. Why did they create such a thing".
"That, we don't know but there are other things we've learned about the alpha chip. The reason the pokemon die upon removal is that the chip sends messages to the brain to keep it action. When the chip is removed the messages stop and the brain becomes inactive and can no longer support the body. As a result the pokemon literally shut down".
"That's terrible. But I'm still wondering how-"
"You're able to remove the chip? I scanned the energy signatures from the data-brace. We found some strange readings on that thing. It turns out that when you remove the chip you don't deactivate the chip, you reverse its actions causing the pokemon to its normal state".
"What kind of energy readings"?
"Trust me you wouldn't understand if I told you. But I can tell you some very good news. With today's technology, we are able to find ways to duplicate energy signatures into devices. That means that after enough research we can find a way to duplicate the energy you create when you remove the chip".
"That means that there is a way for other people to remove the chips".
"Precisly, but unfortunately technology like that could take a while to produce. You'll have to give us time to create such a device".
"No matter, I know it'll come to you guys some day". At that moment my brace started to ring. I pressed the com. button.
"Hello"?
"Nick, I'd like you to come to my office", Karen's voice came through, " We have another uncapturable pokemon, only this time there's more to do than just removing the chip. See you there". Before I new it the message ended.
"I gotta go. Thanks for the info".
"No problem". He smiled at me as I left the room. I made my way to Karen's office to find her looking out the window the way she usually did.
"You wanted to see me"?
"Yes, it seems we have spotted a charizard that has been chipped".
"You guys have taken out charizards with tranquilizer darts before, what makes this one different".
"He's escorting an important object that is necessary to both us and Team Rocket. An energy stone, one powerful enough to power an alpha plant".
"An alpha-"
"Alpha plants are the places that produce the alpha chips", I started to feel like an idiot, having Karen explain everything to me all the time, "To our knowledge, there are five alpha plants spread throughout the continent. Our main objective is to sabotage and eventually destroy these plants".
"Then why don't we just go and destroy them"?
"We don't know where they are. The plants contain some sort of software that scrambles the data transmitted to the satellites from that area. We would try to make a rough guess but the radius of the scrambling goes about 100 miles".
"Damn, I don't know whether to like technology or hate it anymore".
"Right, as I was saying before, the reason we can't just tranquilize the charizard is that if the charizard goes down, so does the energy stone".
"Alright than, I'll go get Terra and Dallin, and you get the dechippers ready".
"Actually, Nick, your going this mission alone".
"What ... WHY"?
"There's no way that they can help".
"What makes this so different".
"This is an aerial mission".