The Boat That Rocked (Rocketshipping Fanfic)
Part Eleven
His apartment door was open when James reached it, the room silent on the other side. He took a deep breath before pushing it open and stepping inside, Jaime following close behind him.
Alphonse was laid across the sofa, his eyes closed, his fingers interlocked together on his chest. Budge was standing in the kitchen doorway, a bloodied towel pressed to his head, his t-shirt torn to reveal a fresh bullet wound. A Marowak was standing on the coffee table, watching them enter the room, its eyes glassy and soulless.
It's cold.
James rubbed his arms, feeling goosebumps rise on his skin. He felt Jaime's hand on his shoulder and he threw a half smile at her.
"Alphonse." He said, his voice like a crack of lightning on a silent night.
The man's eyes opened and he sat up, placing his elbows on his knees. "Ah, James, nice to see you again."
He sounded detached, his words as cold as the room. A shiver ran down his spine. Jaime moved to his side, her grip shifting from his shoulder to his hand.
"Budge gave you a gun, didn't he?" he smiled, his expression close to that of a snake's. "I'd like that back, if possible."
James removed the weapon from his belt where he had put it before coming in and moved towards him, but the Marowak leapt off the table and stood in front of him, glaring. Hatred. Anger.
"Give it to him." Alphonse ordered.
The Pokémon took the gun from him and moved to Alphonse's side. He reached for it and started twirling it around in his hands.
"Sir…Sir, what's going on?" Jaime's voice was weak. She's sensed it too.
Alphonse looked up, that smile still on his face. "Ah, dear Jaime, you don't know what you've got yourself mixed in, have you?"
"I-I don't under-"
He clicked the safety off.
"James."
James' mouth was dry and it took a moment for him to get the word out, "Yes?"
Alphonse pointed the gun at him. "James Cathcart."
His eyes widened, a gasp slipping through his lips. He hadn't told anyone his full name, he hadn't even spoken it since the doctor on the island told him it.
"How-?"
"No, James, no," he waved a long finger at him. "Sorry, but I'll be asking the questions."
Jaime opened her mouth to speak but the barrel glinted as it was redirected at her. James tensed.
"That executioner was purely there for you, James. It had nothing to do with me or this city."
"What do you mean? I don't understand what-"
Alphonse rose from the sofa, the gun rising to point at James' head. "DON'T LIE TO ME."
The man's voice boomed in the small apartment, large and loud, dangerous and furious.
Jaime was shaking, her grip on his hand tightening.
Budge was moving, the bloodied towel shifting from the cut above his eye to the bleeding bullet wound.
"Alphonse-" he began.
"Shut up."
His voice was a hiss, a threat from an enraged snake, the words spat out with such overwhelming hatred that James retreated a step.
"James Cathcart. Member of the notorious Team Rocket."
The room was silent, the only sound was the buzzing in his ears, a constant buzz that deafened him, his blood rushing, his heart faltering in his chest.
Team Rocket? A member? I don't understand – I've never heard of them. Never.
He went cold. I've never heard of them. Me. But I'm not James Cathcart. I'm the empty shell he left behind.
Jaime's hand released his.
"Team Rocket?" she whispered, her tone sending a chill down his spine.
I don't understand, I don't understand, I don't understand – "What's going on?!"
"What's going on, you ask?" Alphonse sneered at him. "You, Mr Cathcart, are a liar. You aren't to be trusted. No one from Team Rocket is accepted here, and yet here you are. In with the big guys, aren't you?"
Alphonse started moving towards him, the hand holding the gun terrifyingly stable and still. "A spy, huh? A mole? A virus? What are you?"
James rubbed his temple, an ache forming, a pain pulsing behind his eyes. "I don't know anything about a Team Rocket. My name is James Cathcart and I work for you, Alphonse."
"No, you don't," his voice was quiet. "Not anymore."
This is bad, bad, bad, very bad. "Wait, you need to understand. I was in a coma for two years - I only have memories from when I woke up," he blurted out. "I don't remember anything else. I truly don't know anything about Team Rocket."
Please, it's true. I'm not lyi-
"Liar."
It was Jaime.
He turned to face her and she glared up at him, tears in her eyes.
"Liar." She repeated.
"I'm not lying, Jaime. Look at me, I'm not lying. Please, believe me." He reached out, his fingers touching her face, wiping away a tear that fell down her cheek. "I'm telling the truth."
Her hand touched his, her face turning so her mouth kissed his skin. He felt her lips move. I know.
Then she dropped her hand and pushed him away, the tears falling freely, walking to stand beside Alphonse.
"Ah, poor James," Alphonse was grinning. "Everything's falling apart for you, ain't it? Even Team Rocket is trying to kill you."
He blinked. "What?"
"The executioner – I said it was for you, didn't I? Giovanni sent it. Seems he isn't too happy with you."
Giovanni? The name rang a bell but it was like looking through a thick fog on a dark night.
He met Jaime's eyes and he saw something flicker across her face. It's now or never.
James took a step forwards, towards Alphonse. The man twitched, his finger shifting on the trigger. Budge moved, the towel falling to the floor as he came closer. The Marowak at Alphonse's feet made a noise, a rumble in its throat, as it crouched down, preparing to attack.
He took another step.
The gun went off.