Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, its world or characters. Only the story and original characters herein.

Chapter Eleven

Lyss backtracked down the tunnel at a run, forgoing any semblance of stealth. With everything going on outside, nobody there would hear her, so she had to put space between her and the one behind her. It didn't take long to run into a problem though - she couldn't see. Without Smoke and with the entrance fading behind her, the light was fast becoming non-existent.

The uneven ground rolled beneath her feet as she ran, and she stumbled more then once, even catching herself on the rock wall. A hiss of pain escaped as her hand slid over a surface somehow both smooth and sharp. Her hand burned like fire as she cradled it, though she couldn't see to check for a wound.

She forced herself to move slower after that, though she was sure the Rocket's light would fall over her at any moment. Her only saving grace was that the path had no branches so she couldn't get lost. It also assured she'd get caught if she stopped of course, but she couldn't run forever. Smoke made a distraction for her, and he was still out there somewhere. She had to get back.

A semblance of a plan began to form, though she didn't like it. Before long she'd stumble back into the room with the townspeople. If any of them stayed, it shouldn't be hard to surprise and overpower a single Rocket. Except for the part she didn't like, which was trusting a room full of scared, submissive strangers. It was all she had though.

It was also all she had time to think of as the glow of lights bloomed down the path in front of her. The small illumination at least gave her an image of where she was going, and the relief at being out of the pitch blackness buoyed her, even as she careened into the room and the grip of her plan.

Fearful gazes hit her from around the room, but changed to surprise and confusion as they recognized her. No doubt they expected a Rocket.

"No time-" her words came in between gasps for breath "-to explain. I need your help." It was then, as she waited for some kind of response, that she noticed there were fewer people there then she remembered. Some had taken her advice and gone back to the city apparently. The question was, did the braver ones leave or stay?

She heard something from the tunnel, a small echo of noise that made her jump to the side and scour the room for anything she could lay her hands on. It wasn't a place people stayed though, just a sort of large midpoint in the tunnel. Desperate, she wrenched off her shoe, glad they had thick soles, and wedged herself as out of sight near the tunnel as she could manage. Then her eyes sought out the others there, snagging on the same woman who spoke up the first time Lyss was there. "I just need you to distract them. That's all."

There wasn't time to say anything else or get a response. The footsteps grew louder and a Team Rocket member hurried through. Lyss tried to flatten further against the wall as the Rocket, a girl, looked around the room. Her face turned sour and her voice came out the same. "Where're the rest of you?" Just as with Lyss, the girl's words were met with silence. The Rocket frowned deeper, if possible, and her head started to turn, searching out of reflex even if there wasn't anywhere more people could hide - except Lyss was hiding, and her heart jumped into her throat.

Then a scream cut through the air, a high pitched shriek that all little girls were experts at. The Rocket flinched and took a step toward the girl. "What's wrong with her?" The mother shook her head, curly hair whipping as she struggled to calm the girl. Rocket's had little patience though, and this one tugged a weapon from her belt. "Shut her up!"

Thunk.

The shoe shook in Lyss' hands as she brought it across the Rocket's head with as much force as she could muster. The Rocket pitched forward onto the ground, her weapon flying free from her grip and spinning out across the floor. Shoe in hand, Lyss stood tense, her heart racing as she kept her eyes glued to the prone form. Would she get back up? It was only a shoe after all.

It took Lyss a moment to realize the little girl's scream had stopped. That the girl laid out on the floor wasn't moving registered at about the same time, and Lyss let out a breath. Nobody else in the room moved either, but the little girl's wide eyes stood out the most. With slow steps, Lyss went and squatted down in front of her.

"Thanks," Lyss told the kid, "you probably just saved my life." She put on a smile for good measure, but it did little to change the expression on the girl's face. Lyss turned away, she didn't have time to worry about the kid's state of mind. There was an unconscious Rocket laying in the room with a superior expecting them to report back. Which meant Lyss had to take her place or the leader would send someone else down after the townspeople.

Lyss sighed. There was always another complication. She had a uniform now though, once she stripped it from its owner, so she could slip in among the Rockets and get back to their base. Find Smoke somewhere on the way as well and figure out how to smuggle him into the Rocket base. Once inside she'd have to find Slate, then get back out again with him in tow. And none of that even considered what she was going to do after this was all over. One slip and she could end up in Team Rocket's sights, and once they discovered her name, that'd be the end of it.

A squeak brought her out of her wandering thoughts, and she paused in the act of removing the Rocket's shirt to glance over her shoulder. The little girl's eyes were covered, her mother's hand hovering over them. It hadn't come soon enough to block the sight of Lyss stripping the other girl though. Maybe that spot wasn't the best place for what she had to do.

#

Dragging the Rocket out into the tunnel was exhausting, and struggling to get the uniform off her wasn't much easier. Lyss got it done though. Changing into the uniform gave her a breather, but left her with a bad feeling. The girl still hadn't moved, and Lyss spotted a clump of red among the Rocket's brunette hair.

She tugged at her own, darker locks as she snatched up the light and made her way back up the tunnel, not tripping over the ground this time. Would they recognize her when she rejoined the Rockets topside? Or worse, not recognize her as one of them? There were tons of Team Rocket members around, but the fear latched in her thoughts nonetheless.

As she emerged into the open air, the scene had changed from when she left. The fires were gone, though the wreckage smoldered, and fewer Rockets milled about the area. Tents she'd seen before were missing, as were the tables covered in cards and dice.

"You there!" Lyss jumped in her baggy uniform at the shout. The leader from before glared daggers her way. "What took you so long? Get over here and report!"

She marched over, forcing rigid steps with more confidence then she felt. When she tried to answer though, her brain froze. What was the right answer? What had they even sent the other girl to do?

The woman's eyes narrowed. "Did they kill them all?" She threw up her hands. "Arceus! They knew the orders!" After more grumbling and head shaking she turned back to Lyss. "Are they on the way up at least? What's taking them?"

"Pokemon," Lyss blurted. "They found some down there and are gathering them up."

The Rocket rolled her shoulders. "That might get them out of some trouble. Depends on what they found." Her attention returned to her tablet as she poked at it with a touch pen. "Fine, first attack team accounted for. Grab a transport back to headquarters." She gave the order without looking up, and Lyss almost missed it, standing there a moment longer before taking the dismissal. A bit of luck, just what she needed. Except it wasn't time to go to the Rocket base yet, Smoke hadn't returned.

Glancing back at the Rocket leader, Lyss dismissed any thoughts of asking her. Too much risk of blowing her cover. Instead she kept an eye out as she crossed through the camp, what was left of it. With most of what could be packed away already gone, the area was now a makeshift parking lot for the Team Rocket vehicles. It was an assortment though. Jets sat alongside resilient land tanks, with a few of the more maneuverable hover cycles scattered around. Rocket members lined up and filed in to the different transports as she went past, heading back to their headquarters as each filled up.

She saw no signs of Smoke, or any activity beyond the leaving vehicles. If they caught him or were still chasing him, there'd be a commotion over it, wouldn't there? Unless it was over and he'd been shipped away. That was not a thought she wanted to dwell on. Maybe they gave up on it?

A troop of Rockets letting a lone Flareon get way. Yeah right.

If she kept wandering around she was bound to get questioned, so she filed into one of the lines. A subdued atmosphere hung around the Rockets, but you could still pick out whispers in the air if you listened. It reminded her of being in school when the teacher wasn't looking.

Mustering her nerve, Lyss shifted closer to the next in line. "Hey," the guy half turned his head at her voice, "what happened with the fire earlier?"

"We put it out. Are you slow?" She frowned at his words, and more at the appraising look he gave her next. "Don't think I've seen you around before. Wanna meet up after we get back?"

Lyss forced down her scathing response. "I wanted to know what started the fire, genius."

"Some pokemon, I think," he shrugged. "They already took it away though. Didn't tell us what it was." He went on, saying something about fire types, but it tapered off in her ears. They had Smoke. Giovanni was going to have Smoke. Her teeth clenched, the rising pain in her jaw a distant feeling.

A jab to her back brought her head up - the line had moved forward ahead of her and the Rocket behind wanted her to move with it. She hurried forward, but didn't apologize. Her sight was locked on the transport they were loading into, and she willed the line to move faster. If Smoke was there, then that's where she was going. Team Rocket shoved Lyss from her home and took a second chance away from her. They would not take Smoke.

#

Travel to Team Rocket's headquarters took too long. The ride was smooth and silent, no outside noise filtered inside the transport. Windows lined the walls, and Lyss stared through them with detached interest. Other thoughts occupied her mind. Plans - or lack there of. She didn't have a clue what she was going to do.

The transport approached the base, bringing an end to her preparation. It was a massive tower, rising higher then she could see craning her neck against the little window. Somewhere in there Smoke waited for her. What would they do to him, or had already done?

"You must be new."

Lyss glanced at the speaker, another girl about her own age. Then again, that wasn't saying much. The transport was full of Rockets close to her in age. "Why?"

"Rubber necking at HQ?" the girl shook her head. "People get excited when they go out on missions, not when they come back." People wanted to go out and slaughter whole cities? A frown deepened on her face and the other girl quirked an eyebrow. "Well, whatever. I'm Elly. You?"

"L-" she bit down on the name, covering it with a cough. "Sandra."

Elly smirked. "I knew you were new. Don't worry about it, lots of us change our names when we join up. Was this your first mission? They pulled like everybody for it, so wouldn't surprise me."

Try as she might to brush her off, Lyss failed to get the girl to leave her alone, and ignoring Elly just gave her more time to talk.

"It's kinda weird though," Elly was still talking, "they didn't tell us who we were punishing this time."

Lyss' head whipped up. "You didn't-" Again she ground her mouth shut before she got the question out. Finishing the thought was sure to be unlike a Rocket.

Elly shrugged. "Doesn't really matter. If Team Rocket says they're bad, then they're bad. Must've done something to piss off the boss."

Lyss was going to be sick.

They rolled to a stop at the destination and the back door lifted open. Rockets filed out of the transport to join the groups of others coming from similar vehicles. Lyss tried not to be awkward as she followed along with the others, blending in to the mass of people headed for the headquarters. Now chatter filled the air, the buzz of voices mixing and becoming indistinguishable.

She didn't see anyone directing as people split off in different directions. They must be returning to their stations, or whatever business they had outside the mission. Which left her continuing down the halls, uncertain and more worried by the second. She had to go somewhere, but if she didn't belong there she'd stand out. Getting questioned by anyone could end her intrusion fast.

"Would it kill you to ask for help?" The voice slid up beside her, making Lyss jump as Elly reappeared, that same grin on her face.

"You're amazingly persistent."

"Part of my charm. I'm a people person." Lyss gave the girl a sour look, but Elly laughed it off. "You're about as cuddly as a Mankey though! Relax, girl, seriously."

Lyss blew out a breath in frustration. Still, though annoying, Elly hadn't asked any problematic questions, and was willing enough to talk to her. Potential help wasn't something Lyss could turn away from. "I'm just preoccupied," Lyss responded. "I was with others trying to catch that pokemon that attacked the camp, but another team got it first. We didn't even get to see what it was."

"Oooh, stole your thunder, huh?" Elly winced in response. "That happens, but I get it. I hear it was a real handful. The pokemon, that is." She leaned toward Lyss and lowered her voice, a first for the boisterous girl. "Wanna go see it?"

Lyss didn't want to think about how close she came to blowing her cover at that moment. Her body vibrated with the effort. "We can?" the question rang with interest, but she managed to not squeak.

"Hey, that got your attention. You must be dying to get a pokemon to use. And we're not really allowed, of that's what you're asking."

A quirk pulled at Lyss' lips. Maybe the girl wasn't so bad after all. "But we can?" she asked again.

"Ha!" Elly barked out a laugh. "I like you, Sandra! Gotta take some risks in life, right? Sure, we can go see the thing. Just act like you own the place and nobody'll look twice at you."

Considering she wasn't even a Rocket, Lyss did not own the place, but she tried to look more confident then she felt. She kept her eyes up and straight ahead as she moved alongside Elly. The other girl was still talking, her hands making wild gestures to accompany her words, but Lyss' mind was on Smoke. She was getting close, but how would she even begin to rescue him once she got there?

She followed Elly around the corner and walked into a dead end. Lyss' nerves hummed as she jerked to stop and watched the girl turn back to her, a frown on her face. Did she know?

"Okay, Sandra, I gotta be honest - you're terrible at this." Lyss debated if she'd be better off running or trying to attack the other girl. "You look like you're going to an execution! Loosen up, girl!"

The breath she was holding came out in a rush of relief. "Sorry. Haven't done this much before."

"Could've fooled me, you were all over this idea."

"I just have a thing for fire types," Lyss lied. "You don't see them much."

"Well that's true." Elly cocked her head. "How do you know it's a fire type?"

"Did you see the blaze it put up?"

"Could've been the engine exploding."

Lyss forced a smile. "Wishful thinking then?"

"We'll find out I guess." She stepped back into the hall, gesturing to Lyss. "Come on, and just keep talking to me."

Sighing, Lyss followed Elly out, and on they went. Elly accosted Lyss with questions after that. Simple things: what does she like to do, what's her favorite food, what pokemon does she like (Lyss played it safe and answered Crobat). Lyss even laughed when the other girl made a bad joke. It was like having a friend, a human one she could talk with. Back home she'd always been the weird orphan, the one who didn't follow the rules. The outcast.

Not that she'd tried to befriend the kids there. They did whatever Team Rocket told them to, and she wanted nothing to do with them.

Lyss' smile fell. Elly was in Team Rocket, how was that better then the other kids just obeying them?

"What's up?" Elly was staring at her and Lyss realized she must've zoned out.

"Nothing," she said, forcing her smile back up. "Just thinking."

"Thought I told you to stop that," Elly smirked and Lyss rolled her eyes as her smile became a little less forced. "Anyway, we're here! Just gotta get through the checkpoint."

Lyss' insides did somersaults. Smoke was just ahead - wait, "Checkpoint?"

"Yeah, for passing through different parts of HQ." Elly gave Lyss a weird look. "You've really never been here before? How new can you be?"

Lyss let out a weak chuckle. "You'd be surprised."

"Look, don't worry. They just take our numbers and wave us through. There's no rules against it." Elly kept going toward the checkpoint, short hair bouncing as she shook her head. "I'm beginning to wonder how you made it into Team Rocket when you're this timid. What happened to the rule breaker I came in with?"

The other girl knew nothing about Lyss, nothing real. Their entire meeting was due to a lie - yet she was still right in a way. Smoke was waiting, Slate too, and she needed more courage then this, more nerve, if she wanted any chance of getting them out.

"What if I don't remember my number?" Lyss asked, trying to repeat the tactic.

"They'll look you up, and be pretty annoyed about it." The girl crossed her arms "You really forgot your own number?"

"It's been a hectic first day, okay?" Squaring her shoulders, Lyss moved forward with Elly. "How do they look me up? My picture?" It could be simpler, right? Maybe there was something in her uniform to identify her.

The look Elly gave her told her that wasn't it. "No," Elly's response was slow, "they scan the chip in your hand."

Crap.

A sudden movement jerked Lyss to the side as Elly veered into her. She was squashed against a door before Elly swung it open and pushed her through. The door hissed closed as Lyss stumbled in, grabbing at a nearby desk to keep from falling.

She spun on Elly. "What was that for?" Her words trailed off as she caught Elly's expression. Lyss stepped back, putting more distance between them.

Elly stomped forward, eating up that distance. "You don't have a chip, do you?" Lyss tried to answer, but Elly raised her voice. "I saw your face! You didn't even know about them!" The girl shoved Lyss again, smacking her into the back wall. "And if you don't have a chip, you're not a Rocket. So who are you?"

There was no good answer available to get Lyss out of this mess, and her heart pounded as she struggled to think. Her luck, it seemed, was running out.