Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, its world or characters. Only the story and original characters herein.
Chapter Thirteen
An alarm blared through the room, startling her even as the guard jumped upright in his chair. Her well aimed swing went awry, cracking over the man's shoulder blade and skipping off. He yelled and spun on her, his face a mix of surprise and anger. She yelped and swung again. The club took him in the jaw this time, snapping his head around and sending him sprawling over his desk. His vid screen splintered and winked out while random objects careened off the desk, then it was silent as he lay still - except for the wailing alarm.
Lyss breathed in great gulps, her pulse racing. Whatever set off the alarm wasn't going to wait for her though, so she left the guard where he was and swung open the closest door. The room inside was a steel box and not much else - four walls, a ceiling, and a floor. The sole occupant there sat strapped into a chair off against the wall, and Lyss hurried over. She fumbled at the metal bands holding the person's arms and legs in place, but couldn't find a release. The bands were solid.
Cursing, she raced back out to the desk, ignoring the prisoner. She tugged the guard back into his chair, grunting with the effort and nearly toppling him onto the floor. One vid screen sat broken, but a second was built into the desk itself. Nothing on it made much sense to her, but she poked at it anyway. Words flashed across the screen - 'Alert in Progress. Lockdown Activated.'
She cursed again. This wasn't going her way.
Lyss turned to the guard instead, hands scouring over his belt and through his pockets. In one, she found his datapad, but it was locked and useless. Nothing hung from his belt but his weapon, similar to her own. No keys or override codes. Nothing to help her free the people there.
She slammed a hand on the screen and took off out the door. Staying put Smoke at risk, and she wouldn't do that. The people held there weren't likely anyone important, Team Rocket might tire of them eventually. If not, well, it's not like they had a home or family to return to...
Out in the halls Rockets were everywhere. Some raced past while others crowded around security desks, no doubt awaiting orders. Either way, it made moving around easier for her, and Lyss took off down the hall at a run. It still didn't make sense though. She was supposed to trigger the alarm while getting the prisoners out of there, or let them do it after they were loose, but she never got that far. So what did happen?
At her pace it was hard to remember where to go, and she skidded to a stop after missing a turn. Nobody paid her any mind, and she worried about where they were all going. If security ended up being stronger around Smoke rather then weaker she'd be in trouble.
A blast of fire shot down the hall and she fell backwards with a shriek as it left a black streak along the metal wall. She didn't bother to get up as she spun to watch the fire. Sure enough, it was dissipating, and she knew that silhouette inside it. Her chest swelled. "Smoke!"
He'd was racing back her way before she even got the word out, pouncing on her and rubbing against her hard enough to knock her over. Lyss laughed and squeezed him to her. "But how'd you get out?"
"There's time for that later! More are coming!" Hands grabbed her shoulders, pulling her to her feet. Smoke bounced ahead, so Lyss followed, glancing at the newcomer as she went. Her jaw dropped.
"Elly?"
"He nearly roasted me when I got him out!" Elly said. "You'd better be grateful!"
Grateful didn't begin to describe it. Lyss didn't have a good enough word for it. "I- but why?"
Elly's face reddened and she grimaced. "We'll talk about that later, we need to get out of here!"
"I can't," Lyss said, snagging the girl's arm. "They said Slate's up with Giovanni. He'll torture and kill him."
"You think he'll do any less to you? To us?"
It was hard to shrug while running, and Elly probably didn't notice. "I can't leave him here." Rockets rushed down the hall toward them, so they turned down a different hall. Lyss had no idea where they were going. "Just tell me how to get up there, please. Then you should get out of here."
Growling something Lyss didn't catch, Elly yelled Smoke's name and tugged Lyss toward one of the many doors along the hall. The girl shoved on the door when it didn't open fast enough and the three of them barreled through it. Inside was a stairwell, and Elly was already tugging her up the stairs, Smoke a few steps ahead.
"They'll be expecting us to escape," Elly said, "so we might get some time by going up instead. It won't take the cameras long to figure it out though."
"Elly, no," Lyss frowned. "You need to get out of here, I can't drag you into this."
"Oh shut up." Lyss blinked at the harsh words. "There's no way security didn't see me break your friend out. You're stuck with me now, so deal with it."
There wasn't much to say to that. Maybe later. Her attention went instead to her mounting fatigue. "So," she managed between breaths, "how many floors up are we going?"
Elly chuckled. "Tired already? Some Rocket you make." It wasn't funny, but Lyss couldn't help responding to the girl's smirk in kind. "Can't use the elevators, security would shut them down. Keep running."
Was Elly aware she hadn't answered the question? Probably. Brat. "Do you know where we're going?"
"I've got a pretty good idea." Noises pounded into the stairwell above them and Lyss bumped into Elly as the girl stopped and turned back. "Go back, go back." The trio all rushed for the closest door, Smoke slipping between them to rush ahead as they pushed through.
'You are familiar to me.'
Lyss startled at the voice, panic flashing as she searched for whoever spotted them. The halls were clear though, and a hand shoved her forward. "Come on, Lyss! Run!" Right after the words were out, Elly skittered to a stop. Rockets charged down the hall toward them. The girls shifted to the other direction, but stopped before they even got going as more Rockets moved in on them from that way. Elly cursed. "They herded us out here."
Out in front, Smoke stood his ground and growled. There was no element of surprise this time though, and no way for him to dig through the metal floors anyway. Lyss was out of ideas. She'd come so far and gotten so close. One hand rubbed at the charm still in her pocket as she watched Team Rocket close in on them. Some good luck charm it was.
A wave of dizziness passed over her and the room spun until she closed her eyes against the sick feeling. She reached out to Elly to steady herself, and the other girl tilted under her grasp, almost sending Lyss to the ground. She heard Elly groan, mirroring her own feelings, but it was when Smoke's growl stopped that her interest peaked and she forced her eyes open.
The room swam for a moment before settling, but one thing was clear - there wasn't a Rocket in sight. For that matter, there wasn't even a hallway around. They were in a room larger then she thought possible. It must take up the entire floor of the building. Machines and equipment filled the room, forming their own little sections even without walls. Monitor screens flashed everywhere she looked, alive with meaning, though she had no idea what. Empty glass containers larger then her and robotic arms tipped with assorted tools gave her a bad first impression - she wanted less to do with the place with each new things she saw.
Lyss edged back against her friend. "Elly, where are we?"
Elly shook her head, wincing before speaking. "Nowhere I've ever been. How'd we get here?"
"Was hoping you knew." Smoke was shuffling around, ears perked as he looked around. "Smoke, stay-" He took off before she could tell him to stay put. "Smoke!" she called as she raced off after him. She heard Elly call out, and she hoped the girl would follow. Lyss wasn't about to lose track of her oldest friend in this situation though.
The chase turned out to be a short one as she caught up to him in one of the sectioned off areas. He sat on the floor, turning to look at her as she stopped. "What's wrong with you today? Don't run off and leave me like that."
A whisper of movement caught her attention, a shifting of fabric you only hear in a quiet room. Her eyes raised to the bed - more of a table really - occupying the center of electronics around them. A pair of eyes stared back at her, a dullness to them that scared her. More so when the recognition flickered in them. "Lyss?" their voice rasped, hardly louder then the movement before.
Lyss didn't want to look at him, didn't want her eyes to wander over his broken body, but she couldn't stop. His clothes had been cut away and hung in strips and flaps, baring skin that alternated patches of red, purple, or black. The unmarred areas of his body had patches or wires stretching away from him, connecting him to a screen over the table that flashed with numbers and graphs that had no meaning to her. His hands were the worst. He'd never hold the books he enjoyed again.
"Slate." She took a step forward, but was somehow afraid to even touch him. Her voice cracked. "No, Slate."
"Lyss," he croaked, a grimace twitching at his lips. "Shouldn't be here."
Feet pounded up behind her. "Lyss-" Elly went quiet, then, "Is this him?" A nod was all she managed, and a hand fell on her shoulder. "Lyss... He can't walk. There's no way we can get him out of here."
Lyss shrugged the hand off and stepped closer to Slate, right up beside the table. Nothing was hidden at that angle, nothing unclear. There was no blood, not on the surface, but the bruises that littered him were far scarier. And the black patches, burns so severe it was like bacon left too long on the griddle. Even that was only what she could see, what else was there that she couldn't?
"Lyss," his voice came again and she looked up to his face. The smallest smile was there, for her benefit alone no doubt. "Go."
"I can't-" she swallowed back the words. There was nothing she could do for him, nowhere she could take him where Team Rocket couldn't reach, even if she did manage to get him away from the base. Staying would get her caught, not to mention her friends, and she knew how he felt about her worth. She was going to be everything to his revolution. Did it matter anymore? Lower Pewter was already gone, if Slate died too, there wouldn't be a revolution anymore.
True or not though, she couldn't let that be in his last thoughts. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
His head shifted, he winced even at that, and his eyes lifted toward the console his wires led to. "Button."
Lyss nibbled her lower lip. She didn't like this. "What will happen if I press that?"
"Peace," he groaned, his eyes sliding closed. "Rest."
Death. That's what he meant.
Her hands shook, and she clenched them tight. She couldn't, he was the closest thing to family she could claim. Even if she barely knew him, he knew her parents, both pairs. How could she kill him?
A click brought her head around in a snap, black hair whipping across her face. Elly stood there, her hand sliding from the console, her face stern and strong. Lyss could only gape at her. "Why- how could you?"
"Lyss," the name was harsh and commanding, "there's no time for thinking here. We need to get out of here. Even he wanted you to leave!" At his mention, Lyss spun back to him. She could at least say goodbye.
His eyes were still closed, but everything else was different. No strain lined his face or pinched at his eyelids. A smile creased his face in their place, different from the forced one he wore when she got there. Worst of all was his chest - it wasn't moving.
Lyss stood frozen. It couldn't have happened that fast. He couldn't already be gone. There was more she had to talk to him about. Much more.
"Lyss! We have to go!"
"Now don't be rude, you just got here." The voice was like lightning down Lyss' spine. Even as she turned, she knew who it was. Everyone knew that voice.
Giovanni.
A casual smile played at his lips as he waved a gesture their way. "It was rude of you to destroy one of my valued subjects. I may need to use you in his place." Lyss wanted to yell, to lash out in anger at the man, but she couldn't. This was the man she'd been raised to fear since she could remember. He'd ruled, undying, for generations. Nobody stood up to him. Not if they wanted to live, he'd demonstrated that more then once.
She looked to Elly for help, but the girl was just as stiff as she was. Giovanni was her boss, she probably knew more reason to fear him then Lyss did.
As the Rocket boss strolled toward them, Lyss slid away. It was only a step before she bumped into the table, and she flicked a glance back. Her gaze stuck, glued to Slate laying there. He was kind to her when she needed it. Even if he only wanted something from her, it hadn't been hard to see that he was just a kind person in general. Now he was gone, and it was Giovanni's fault.
Lyss ground her teeth and squeezed her nails into her palms. She stepped forward, up beside Elly, then in front of her with Smoke, glaring at Giovanni with all the anger she could muster. His brow rose and a smirk lifted his lips higher, the derision there fueling her anger. She would not back down to this scum.
'Find me.'
The words broke through her hateful thoughts. It was the same voice from before. It was weird though, Smoke's ears were perked, but Giovanni didn't act like anyone had spoke at all. Nobody else was around.
"There's nowhere to go," the man scoffed as she peered into the corners of the room. "You cannot leave this floor without my say so."
"How did we get up here then?" she responded with all the sass she could muster.
His smirk fell. "A question I intend to have answered." Lyss' attitude slipped back at the menace in his tone. Angry or not, she was trapped with the man who ruled the country, and his questions weren't going to be pleasant.
That's when Smoke took off running.
Lyss glanced at Giovanni for only a second before she bolted after the Flareon. Smoke had better know where he's going.
"Nidoking," Giovanni said, his voice loud but controlled. "Stop them."
Her fear spiked when she felt the tremor vibrate through the floor. Whatever a Nidoking was, it was large, or heavy, or both.
Don't look at it. Keep running. Don't look back.
Smoke didn't have the same issue though, as he spun and jumped back beside her. She threw her arms around his neck and tugged. "No, Smoke! Just-" Words failed her as she spotted the thing charging them. Enormous didn't do it justice, as it must've been around three stories tall, and she understood then why the ceiling was so high on this floor. Metal plates created a patchwork armor over the creature's dark purple skin, even covering its head and giving it an iron jaw. The worst was its horn, which sparked with arcs of electricity. Wires ran down from the horn and over its back - to what, she couldn't see - while more snaked down its arms to some contraptions on its clawed hands.
That thing wouldn't even need to slow down to kill them, it'd just run them over. And it was crossing the room fast.
"Smoke, please," she tugged harder as panic filtered into her voice. "Get us out of here. Just run." He wouldn't come away though, and his body was heating up, getting ready for the fight. There was nothing she could do to move him if he didn't want to be moved, so she shoved her face into his fur, squeezing him in a hug. "I'm not leaving you here."
"You can't protect her if you're dead, idiot!" Lyss raised back up at Elly's yell, squeaking in surprise when the girl swatted Smoke over the head. "Go! Before you get her killed!"
Lyss breathed in relief as Smoke, apparently convinced, squirmed out of her grip and turned to run. She didn't get to dwell on it, as Elly yanked her up and shoved her after him. All three bolted across the room, weaving around the assortment of objects littered everywhere. Considering the crashing sounds from behind, the Nidoking was going through things, not around. They lost ground with every swerve.
Lyss chased Smoke into an enclosure of equipment so tall it may as well be a wall, only to trip over him as he stopped just inside. She yelped and tumbled to the floor, pulling her hands in as she felt Elly stumble past her.
"What the heck, Flareon? Why'd we stop..." Elly's shout trailed off, which was odd. What happened? Lyss pushed herself up from the ground.
Oh.
She didn't need to look at her friends to know they were seeing the same thing. The massive cage across from them took up the majority of the area, its bars putting off a dim glow in the bright room. Some sort of stones hung from the bars, a uniform spacing set between them - except for an odd gap. The whole thing was unlike anything she'd ever seen.
Yet it wasn't the cage itself that left her speechless. The space inside the bars was occupied with the oddest creature she'd ever seen. Pokemon - was it a pokemon? - were often strange looking, but this one was something like a pure white Stantler. Sort of. And it was regal in a way, like king of the forest or something.
It didn't belong there, locked up in Giovanni's personal floor of the Team Rocket headquarters. Whatever it was, it shouldn't be caged like that.
'You have it.'
Lyss' eyes widened even further. Was this who was talking to her?
A loud crash from far too close made her jump up from the floor as the Nidoking smashed aside the wall of equipment blocking its way. They should run, but they weren't. Smoke hunched in front of her, his fur blazing with his inner fire. Elly stood by her side, staring up at the beast. Frozen in fear? Lyss grabbed her hand and spun, looking for somewhere to go, any path away from the monster. There wasn't one, the area was enclosed, with only the entrance they came through, and it was occupied by the giant intent on stomping them into the ground.
This wasn't good.
"Nidoking, stop." Giovanni's voice carried through the air and the beast stopped. It didn't growl or cower or shift, it just stood there while the Rocket boss strolled past. "There's no point in continuing this chase. It'll take days to put this place back in order, and you will occupy me during that time. Trying to escape further will only extend your time with me."
Lyss shuddered - spending time with Giovanni was a worse fate then she wanted to consider. They were trapped though. Smoke was no match for the monster under Giovanni's control, and there was nowhere left to run. There probably wasn't anywhere to run in the first place. The floor was sealed off. Why were they even there?
'Return it to me.'
The voice came again, and Smoke's ears twitched. Lyss still couldn't tell if the creature in the cage was the one talking to her, but she didn't know what it wanted returned, so it hardly mattered. It was being vague when she really didn't have the time to puzzle it out. She slipped a hand into her pocket, feeling for her stone. If she ever needed a lucky charm, it was now.
She rolled the stone in her fingers for only a second before frowning and pulling it from her pocket. It was warm, hot even, but it was just a rock, how could it-
"What is that?" She looked up at Giovanni's question and found him looking at her, his smirk gone. She almost answered him too, but kept her mouth shut instead. Why should she tell him anything? His eyes narrowed. "Answer me, girl."
She stuck her tongue out at him. Sure, it was juvenile, but it felt good. Giovanni's expression darkened and he started toward them when Smoke nipped the rock from her hand.
"Smoke!" she yelped. "What-" The heat coming off him spiked as he held the rock in his teeth, and Lyss threw her hands up to block her face as she backed away. It wasn't even an attack, not one that she knew of, but the temperature of the air around him was rising to almost Heat Wave levels. His inner fire must be going crazy.
She heard Giovanni shout then. "Nidoking! Stop that thing!" Her heart leapt into her throat when the pounding footsteps moved toward them. She wasn't close enough to drag Smoke away this time, it was all she could do to just peek through here arms to watch.
No! She wouldn't lose him! Gritting her teeth against the heat, Lyss urged her feet forward. Her skin tingled even through her clothes as sweat slid down her face. She wouldn't make it to him in time though. There was no way.
Another surge of heat swirled up, lifting her hair, before blasting outward and throwing her to the ground. The force left her dazed, but she dragged herself up. What happened to Smoke?
The heat abated somewhat, enough for her to look for Smoke without burning her eyes, and she found him standing right where he had before. No Nidoking stood over him, or anywhere near, so she looked to Giovanni, then followed his turned head back the way they'd come.
There was the beast. The metal across its hide glowed red hot as it pushed to its feet.
Lyss gaped at Smoke. That was impossible, he wasn't that strong, not enough to blast that behemoth across the building with pure fire. He looked back to her then and she saw her stone still held in his teeth. It glowed red, but was undamaged.
"Impossible." Giovanni spoke up, as he too stared at Smoke. His expression of surprise morphed into something else though, something dark and frightening. He stalked toward them with hurried steps. "Give me that plate."
Smoke turned and leapt away before the man covered half the distance to them. Stifling heat rose in the room again and Smoke radiated a coat of fire as he bounded toward the cage. Flames jumped and sparked, engulfing and obscuring him into little more then a ball of fire as he shot forward.
Lyss' breath caught - she knew that move, too well considering she never told him to use it. It'd never been that powerful though. He'd kill himself.
She screamed his name as he hit the cage bars, right in the gap between the stones, but the concussion of force tore the breath from her even as it knocked her back to the ground. The ceiling spun in her eyes, and she squinted against the sick feeling. Her head pounded and her body ached from getting tossed around, but again she pushed herself up to rest on her elbows.
The cage was a smoking mess, with an entire portion melted away. The bars weren't glowing, and as she watched the stones around the cage all slid free and fell to the floor. Inside, the white creature stirred and shifted for the first time she'd seen. Then she spotted Smoke, sprawled across the cage floor.
He wasn't moving.
Her throat clenched. She needed to go to him, but her body wasn't listening. A scream welled in her chest but wouldn't come out. Her eyes burned but she couldn't blink.
"No!" Giovanni shouted, the sound somehow distant. "Nidoking, stop him! Put him down!"
'Never again,' came that same voice from before, just as the white creature stepped clear of the cage. It stood before them all, free and clear, but Lyss saw only its legs as she stared at the small orange form still in the cage. 'You reach too far, human. You will not contain me again.'
Light flooded the room and Lyss flinched away, her eyes slamming shut against the brightness. Giovanni was shouting in the background and his roar of anger was all she heard as her world faded to black.
#
Feeling filtered into Lyss as she regained her senses. It was all muddled though. Her eyes blinked open, but nothing changed. Everything was dark and silent. She heard nothing, not even her own breathing.
Was she laying down or standing up? She couldn't feel a floor beneath her, only the ache in her limbs. Reaching her hands around was useless, she found nothing. She tried to move but stopped right after. Everything felt weird, like moving in water. Where was she?
'Thank you, human.' She startled as the voice carried to her again. 'Your efforts allow me to right what has been corrupted, and that is a boon I do not take lightly. Ask of me what you wish, and you will have it.'
Nothing made sense. What happened to the tower or Giovanni? Where was Elly? What was going on? Was this real?
Did it really matter? If there was even a chance it was true, that was enough. There was one thing she wanted.
"Help Smoke," Lyss answered, her voice wavering with a strange echo. "Please. If you're the one he broke out, you have to take care of him. Please!"
Silence returned, leaving her there in the emptiness. She couldn't see her hands, couldn't hear her breath or heartbeat. Would the voice answer? Did she ask too much?
Yet the voice boomed in her head again. 'You and he are much alike. Your bond is one I thought not to see again. If such is your wish, then I will see it done.
Lyss let out a sigh at the response as some of the tension bled out of her. "Thank you."
'However, you must understand that this world, the world you know, is wrong. It was never to exist, and it is not something I can fix. It must be erased. Begun again. An unfamiliar world will be all that awaits your friend. Do you still wish it?'
A different world couldn't be worse then where they'd come from. She didn't really understand everything the voice was talking about, but it didn't change things. "Yes. Just make sure someone takes care of him. I don't want him to be alone."
Swirls of light twisted through the air as she spoke. Everything around her, the whole surreal world, moved while she stayed motionless, feeling none of it. Lyss blinked in the increasing spin of light and motion, somehow not dizzy in the midst of it all.
'So be it.'
Then there was nothing.