Chapter 8: The Dark In The Well
Pandabot: Ok, so first things first. I want to apologise to the readers for the massive gap between updates. It's been around two months since the last chapter and Peppy and I wish to say sorry. This chapter has been re-written and re-imagined a total of six times and, with university being a lot busier than we expected, we struggled to get any writing done. So enjoy this chapter and review and all the usual stuff; hopefully we'll be able to write a bit faster from now on
"God this itches…" Lyra fussed, tugging at her ill-fitting uniform.
JT didn't hear her complaint. His rattled thoughts drifted to the row of sleeping youths packed into the bench along the opposite wall of the cabin; they looked like they'd all hit some hard times. The monotonous churn of the train had lulled everyone else to sleep, but could not quell the nerves of JT and Lyra. The pair were squeezed between two new 'recruits'; a particularly large boy snored very loudly as his head lolled onto JT's shoulder. Offering respite from the dank stench of the packed cabin were two slim, open windows running just below the ceiling on both sides. Blackened tree tops whizzed past an oily evening sky inked with stars – they'd been travelling for several hours. The pair had managed to hide their Pokeballs but had lost their bags, and so were without their Pokedexes and the items they'd bought in Cherrygrove. They had no idea where they were going; orwhy they were going there.
"Where do you think we're going?" Lyra asked with a hint of nervousness in her tone.
JT screwed up his face in thought for a second. "Hard to say" he muttered, "Could be anywhere."
He was right. The train system covered the majority of Johto, excepting Cherrygrove, New Bark and Blackthorn City; the only places Team Rocket's influence hadn't overwhelmed yet. Suddenly a kid across from them sharply interrupted.
"You really don't know?" he scoffed with a patronising sneer. "Where have you guys been?"
Lyra glowered at him. "Planning to tell us or are you just gonna sit there?" she spat with hostility. The blonde haired teen fixed an ogling gaze on her and answered.
"Hmph. Fiesty one aren't ya?" he smirked, running his eyes down her lecherously. Lyra drew back into her seat, staring daggers at him.
"Well?" she cried, slightly unnerved by this. He rose to his feet and chuckled darkly.
"Don't you worry babe. We're only going to Azalea Town." The youth leaned in salaciously.
"Then maybe we could-"
"Back off!"
Any of the youths not woken by the Lyra and the blond boy's heated exchange now snapped to attention to see a fiery JT on his feet. The blond boy, taken aback by the outburst, re-claimed his wits and met JT's narrowed glare.
"You got a problem?"
JT awoke to the situation before him; he and Lyra were in a room full of young, petty criminals under the fist of Team Rocket. His narrowed eyes softened and his fists loosened. At the blonde teen's fuming gaze he slunk back into his seat and sat in silence. The youth turned his seedy attentions back to Lyra. JT and Lyra throbbed with silent rage, their mouths sealed by the stern expressions of the other teens packing the cabin. The blonde boy leant over Lyra, placing his hand on the wall behind her, and started again with a smirk.
"Looks like your boyfriend knows his place," he shot condescendingly, placing a strong hand around Lyra's arm. "You'd do well to follow his lea-UGHH!"
The boy was suddenly rocketed hard into the wall at the front of the cabin with a sickening clunk. The train had lurched to a halt in one violent motion. The cabin's shaken inhabitants gaped in shock at the crumpled teen sprawled groaning on the floor. The steel double doors at the rear of the cabin flung open to the searching glare of flashlights and the icy pang of the early morning air. JT and Lyra glanced fervently at each other, with more than a streak of relief on their faces. Several Rocket grunts, accompanied by a pair of cruel-looking Raticates, flooded the cabin, tossing flashlights and belts of Pokeballs to the youths.
"On your feet!"
A Rocket wearing a silver badge marched in and called the group to attention.
"You are all now part of Team Rocket," he barked, looking into the eyes of each new recruit as he made his way down the row. "More specifically you are Rank 1 Rockets. That means you are the lowest of the low. Everybody is above you and nobody is below you. Everybody is sir! Do I make myself cle-what do you think you're…I said, ON YOUR FEET RANK 1!"
The winded teen could only wheeze in reply.
As they marched in darkness, JT fumbled in his back pocket for the Pokeballs he had hidden earlier. When he could be sure the grunts' attention was elsewhere he handed Lyra hers and clipped his to his new belt. He shoveled the spares into his back pocket; he felt more comfortable with his own Pokeballs at the ready.
Flanked by grunts, the black-clad file of Rank 1s crept along the craggy edge of a canyon, the heavy silence broken only by the crunching of gravel. The idling of the churn of the train's engine was muted now; a Rank 1 a few places ahead of JT and Lyra received a thump from a baton for stopping to see how far they'd come.
Lyra (not ceasing to tug at her uniform) turned to JT with an exasperated sigh. He knew what she was asking; they found their answer not a second later: an ominous chimney stack cleaved the blackened cloud cover, rising from a small complex of warehouses and factory buildings. The leading grunt swiveled round with his baton flung over his shoulder, bringing the party to a shuffling stop.
"Rank 1s! Your mission this evening," he announced sharply, pointing his baton to the compound ahead, "is down in the Slowpoke Well!"
It looked more like a mine than a well, JT thought to himself – and he certainly couldn't see any Slowpoke around. Rattling through a narrow wire gate, the Rank 1s slinked into the compound. The grunt who made the announcement lead them to a small steel building under the watch of the dormant chimney stack. Heaving the double doors open, he barked for them to get inside.
"Ok Rank 1s, its debriefing time!"
The small party of teenagers poured into the building, which was plain and square inside, with a metal floor. JT and Lyra stood squeezed and shouldered between a group of hulking Rank 1s – the blonde teen they had encountered on the train piped up.
"Ok so you lot gonna tell us what we're doin' here now?"
The leader grunt remained outside and responded only with a small smirk before the doors slammed shut with a piercing clang, separating the Rank 1s from the grunts. Panicked cries erupted as the tightly packed room was suddenly racked with the vicious sound of whirring machinery. The metal floor began to vibrate. Lyra reached for JT's shoulder through the confusion.
"I think this is an elevator!" she cried over the racket.
JT met her hand and clutched her tight as their footing jerked suddenly. The blond teen was banging on the walls, screaming obscenities at their unseen captors. He tumbled once more as the elevator began its jarring descent. JT and Lyra exchanged a small smirk but neither could mask their worry as the platform lowered them into the depths of the well.
"Rank 1s! You are now part of Team Rocket! This means that you are now part of a proud team that takes whatever it wants, whenever it wants!"
A tall, thin man paced in front of them, an arrogant smirk pasted on his pockmarked face. He stopped his pacing for a moment, looking down the line of teens. "Welcome kiddies!" he smirked, spreading his arms in what-may-have-usually-been-a-welcoming manner.
The teens, clearly used to living on the streets, grinned at each other excitedly; JT and Lyra exchanged a worried glance. There was a moment of silence, broken by the dripping water of the cave they were currently sequestered in; the flickering lights set around the walls let off a light buzz.
"Alright then! Let's get you rostered on and set you to work, boys and girls!" the tall man shouted, clapping his hands together energetically, shattering the eerie silence. He turned on his heel and strode confidently out of the cave through a heavy steel door. The remaining Rocket grunts sidled closer as the arrogant blonde teen led the group after the tall Rocket.
The group stomped through the underground passage, the sound of their footsteps echoing around the craggy, uneven passage. Lyra gripped JT's arm, her grip rivalling that of a Kingler, cutting off the blood flow to his right hand; he could barely feel it anymore. He didn't complain though - he was not about to risk another scene like the one on the train. As they walked they passed several steel doors and passages that led off in different directions; one of the doors was open revealing a couple of dozen sickly Slowpokes confined to a glass tank.
"What is this place?" Lyra whispered in a shaky voice; JT could only shake his head, a sick expression on his face. Finally the group came to a halt before a formidable looking door, at least ten feet tall and made out of studded steel.
"Alright boys!" the tall Rocket announced, "and girl" he added, nodding to Lyra, "this is what we are down here for! This is your mission! While you are here, this is your life! Am I understood?" he inquired commandingly. The group looked at each other in confusion. Finally the arrogant blonde boy spoke up,
"What exactly is it?" he drawled. The tall Rocket turned his gaze on him, studying him before giving an answer. "What this door leads to is none of your concern, recruit. All you need to know is this: if it ain't me, they aren't going through that door."
The entire group gave noises of assent and the tall Rocket smirked at them. "Alright then. Cale! Set them all up in quarters for now. Then organise a roster for them." A small, stocky man stepped out from the shadows of another passage; he gave a sharp nod and took to studying the group again. The tall Rocket turned back to the group one last time.
"Good luck First Rankers. I'll be seeing you again" he said, a hint of genuine emotion leaking into his voice for the first time. With that, he turned on his heel and strode out the same passage that the group had used to enter the small cave. As he left, the man who had been identified as Cale stepped forward.
"Okay young 'uns. Let's go and get you guys some beds of your own" he said, with a suspiciously kind smile on his face. He turned and led the group down the passage he had appeared from. The group chattered excitedly about getting beds as they followed in Cale's stead. Lyra turned to JT.
"We have to get out of here."