No sooner had those words been expelled into the shroud of inky darkness, I opened my mouth to scream again. I was stumbling over the things I had knocked to the ground in my haste to get away, put any sort of distance between myself and the figures on the doorstep. But faster than I could even squeak, let alone scream, a hand shot out and clasped itself firmly over my mouth, instantly grounding me to the spot. All I could do was whimper in fear, even those noises muffled and weak under the strong grip of someone's strong fingers digging into my cheeks and around my mouth. I closed my eyes against it all, but as I did, a soft, sinister chuckle sounded somewhere above me. My eyes flashed open again and a shot of fear ricocheted through my entire body before an icy paralysis descended. I floundered behind the grasp of the strong hand, my eyes locked straight upwards into the shadowy silhouette of my captor. An arm around my waist was suddenly guiding me back out into the cool air. No sooner had I stepped outside, the door slowly swung to a close behind me, the noise of it clicking shut startlingly loud.

"Don't struggle,"

I ached to reach up and tear the hand away from me, but I couldn't. I just couldn't. I was encompassed by fear and even the mere thought of moving sent chills down my spine. I didn't want to risk it. I was horribly aware of the fact that although my Pokemon lay securely swinging from my belt, I couldn't rely on them. I was trapped…

"Well, well, well. Sienna Volbeda. My… how you've grown since the last time I've seen you…"

I whimpered behind his hand again, his fingers slowly digging further and further into my flesh until his nails bit into me painfully like they were ready to pierce straight through.

"You're not that silly, irritating, frightened little girl you were two years ago any more, are you? No… no, now you're a grown woman." He chuckled deviously, his grip tightening with every word he spoke. "More than ready to take responsibility for what you did to me…"

My eyes were slowly beginning to adjust to the darkness and aided by the slim beams of light from the nearby windows I was finally able to fully make out the faces of the people in front of me. The first, I needed no help to identify. I needed only to hear his voice; listening to that thick, prominent accent was all it took. I knew without doubt that it was Nathan that had me cornered. All the same, my eyes darted all over his face, hunting out the familiar features I knew belonged only to him. But the second I saw the prominent scar and the cold narrowed eyes, I grew scared and found I could look no longer at him.

I looked instead at the other figure. It was a woman. A woman that I knew needed no introduction. In a strange sense, she was everything I expected her to be, but in another, she was exactly the opposite of what I imagined. She stood surprisingly short, a good three or four inches below Nathan, despite wearing smart heels, and her figure was rounded, slightly plump in places. Her coal black hair was scraped back into a tight ponytail, not a single solitary strand out of place, yet the long fronds swung rhythmically with every tiny movement she made. Glasses that seemed a little too big perched precariously on the bridge of her long, thin nose, and large, dark owl-like eyes widened inquisitively behind the thick lenses. Her face was angular, sharp and pointed and her skin almost clinically white. She stood next to Nathan, her arms tightly folded, looking both strangely out of place next to him and at the same time, so eerily similar that my heart began to hammer against my ribcage.

"Now, I'm going to let you go here." Nathan's voice was slippery, a devious smile tugging at his lips. "You have to promise not to make a noise or do anything stupid, otherwise something very unpleasant will happen to you."

I blinked slowly, my heart ramming in my chest.

"You promise?"

I could only manage the vaguest of nods.

"Alright, Sienna Volbeda." Nathan said, and I felt his grip slacken before eventually loosening completely, freeing me.

Despite Nathan's warning and despite the crippling fear that was gripping me, no sooner was I free and he and the woman looked down on me, smiling sinisterly all the while, I saw an opportunity. Something stirred deep inside me, some blind, primitive instinct, and in a moment of sheer, unbridled madness and anger, my body suddenly jerked forward of its own accord. My legs started to move of their own accord, almost like they were acting under their own free will. But instead of running away and getting myself to safety, or finding some way to call for help, I just wanted to throw myself bodily at the two people standing in front of me. I was slave to some automatic, barbaric, primal urge and I just wanted to reach out and throttle Nathan with my bare hands.

But I could barely take one step in his direction before he reached out, seized me around the wrists, gripping me so strongly and so painfully that I cried out and halted right in my tracks. Frightened and shocked, I suddenly felt force collide with my upper back, sending me slamming forward onto my knees. Winded and totally shocked, I slumped to the ground, gasping for breath.

"I'm ashamed, Sienna." I heard Nathan say coldly above me, his voice oozing with some strange, faked hurt, almost sugary-sweet and sing-song like. "I thought I could trust you."

I coughed weakly, still winded. I lay there for a few moments, wheezing, trying to get some air back into my constricted lungs.

"Get up," Nathan commanded icily, but before I could even contemplate the idea of getting up on my own, he had grabbed my arm and yanked me clumsily back to my feet.

Coughing and spluttering, I wavered uncertainly before managing to spit out "What… what the hell was that for?"

"Just reminding you who's in charge here. And what the penalty is for disobeying me," Nathan said callously, his eyes narrowing. "Because you need to remember one very important thing, Miss Volbeda. Your Pokemon are in the grips of a force that you cannot even begin to comprehend. And they won't listen to you, will they? Hah. You see, you have to remember… that without your Pokemon, you are nothing."

"So… so it was you…" I wheezed. "You… you did that to our Pokemon?!"

A calculated, scheming look appeared on Nathan's face as he looked towards the woman at his side. "I haven't done anything. My associate on the other hand—"

"Oh please, Nathan!" Helene suddenly intercepted, her voice purring like a contented Persian. She too had a thick accent that I couldn't quite identify, but it was poles apart from the thick, drawling, (almost incomprehensible at times) accent that Nathan had. Hers was sharp and fine, twittering like the calls of birds, but still dripping with malicious intent and she narrowed her owl-like eye as she spoke, her thin, angular face turning slowly to look up at him. "Associate is just so… cold…" The final word was heaped with intent, and as she spoke, her hand drifted upwards towards his face.

"Associate is what you are, you should behave as such." Nathan sniped, snatching Helene's hand from midair.

She didn't even flinch as Nathan seized a hold of her although he looked to have her in a grasp just as tight and likely painful as the one I had been in. She faced him calmly, looking like an unimpressed mother watching her child have a tantrum. "Oh, really?" she demanded of him, her voice stony. She snatched her hand back and glared at him angrily. "Well, this so-called 'associate' of yours was responsible for getting you out of that jail in the first place. Without me, you wouldn't be standing here. Without me, you wouldn't have them like pawns in the palm of your hands. So I will thank you for less of the associate."

Nathan was glaring at Helene now, but moments later, the angered sneer slipped off his face to be replaced with a wry grin. "You always have been a lively one, haven't you…?" he asked smoothly, touching her gently on her white cheek.

At this point, the door suddenly flew open and I turned around in shock to see my father come bursting outside, his face enraged. He stopped straight in his tracks when he saw Nathan and Helene standing there and his face slowly twisted further into a look of pure outrage. For a moment, it looked like he was about ready to abandon everything, lunge at Nathan and knock him straight to the ground. He took a step forward, eyes blazing, but the noise of a Pokeball opening and a burst of light from nearby stalled him. I cried out in fear as a giant figure flashed across my vision and seconds later, a huge, green, serpent-like Pokemon appeared from nowhere! I screeched as the Pokemon darted forward in front of Nathan and Helene and began hissing madly, snapping at Dad with enormous jaws, lined with rows of tiny teeth. Dad yelled out in shock as the Pokemon twisted its long body into coils, still hissing and lunging at him, making him instantly back away.

The green serpent Pokemon was totally unfamiliar to me and I looked up to Nathan and Helene, wide-eyed, wondering who the hell it belonged to. Nathan was shaking his head as he looked at Helene in a disapproving manner. "I had it under control," he said coolly.

"How typical of you that you think you must always act the big man," Helene said, one eyebrow twitching. "This is a partnership."

"Partnership!" Nathan scoffed. "We've never had a partnership in all the years we've known each other!"

They started to argue, sniping and snapping at each other like bickering siblings, and I cast a glance in my father's direction. He looked furious, biting his lip, a fierce frown marring his face. But he also looked helpless, his eyes betraying a look of sheer powerlessness. I would go as far as to say that he looked distraught, like he knew there was nothing he could do to fix the terrible situation we were in. It was a horrifying sight to endure. I forced myself to look away and think, try and come up with some kind of solution. But it was hard to think when I daren't even move; not even the slightest twitch, as the green serpentine Pokemon was still staring us down, looking like it wouldn't hesitate to swallow us whole at the first movement from either of us. I was terrified. I couldn't even call out a Pokemon to help me… And somehow, even if my Pokemon weren't acting strangely, I had the sinking feeling that it likely wouldn't make even the slightest bit of difference.

"I hate to interrupt your little lovers' quarrel over there," The suddenness of Dad's voice startled me, and it was also enough to stop Nathan and Helene in their tracks and bring their attention back to us. "But if you intend to kill me, I'd rather you get it over with as soon as possible."

He spoke so calmly, so matter-of-factly and so easily it was like he was stating his order at a restaurant. It sent a chill through my spine and the words 'kill me' hung heavily and oppressively in the air, darkening it, like someone was trying to smother me…

"Oh, Cal." Nathan was chuckling. "You're a regular old comedian, aren't you…?"

"I try, Nathan." Dad said coolly. "I needed a decent sense of humour working under you…"

Helene let out a burst of laughter. "He speaks the truth," she grinned at Nathan when he turned to look at her darkly.

Nathan grunted slightly, looking angry. "You know, Cal, I don't intend to kill you."

"Oh, you don't?" Dad said, folding his arms. "Well, that is news to me. What a shame, Nathan. I would have expected more from you." He paused. "Or is this Helene's influence?" he suddenly began to snicker, his eyes alight with mirth. "Oh, this is too good. Just too good. Have you gone… soft, Nathan?" he said the word with relish. "Has Helene got you wrapped around her little finger? Or… under her thumb? She's right, you know? Without her, you wouldn't even be standing here."

I wasn't quite sure what happened exactly but next thing I knew, Dad was doubled over, grunting and groaning in pain and Nathan was calmly cracking his knuckles, only a few feet away from him.

"T…touched a nerve, did I?" Dad rasped.

"Hmph." Nathan said, letting his arms fall to his sides again. "Killing would be too good for you," He then imparted, narrowing his eyes. "Death is easy. Too easy, too nice, too good for someone like you. There are few things I hate more in life than traitors, and the only thing traitors deserve is suffering. Seeing all the things and people you care about suffer. You wronged me, Cal Volbeda. But I won't waste time killing you. You're not even worth killing. Seeing everything you love taken away from you is the only punishment I see fit for you. Your precious dojo... burned to a crisp. Your dear Pokemon... reduced to mindlessly violent creatures beyond your control. Your hopes and dreams… dashed before you even have a chance to properly fulfil them. Your family that you've only just managed to get back... ripped from you and destroyed in front of your very eyes. No, Cal. You don't deserve to die. You're so low you're not even worth killing..."

"D…Dad!" I cried out instinctively.

"But your beautiful daughter on the other hand," Nathan said with a devious smirk, slowly turning towards me. "Now she... she is most definitely worth killing."

"You lay a hand on her and I'll-"

"What can you do?" Nathan intervened with an easy chuckle. "Your Pokemon aren't able to help you, thanks to Helene's handiwork here," he grinned in Helene's direction, who nodded her head smugly at her mention. "You're powerless."

I felt tears suddenly slip down from my eyes and a sense of hopelessness wash over me. "Oh God, no…"

"Helene," Nathan suddenly said firmly. "Take the girl. Keep her away for the moment. I have some unfinished business with Cal and the other annoyances in the dojo."

"You got it," Helene said. "Serperior! Take her out!"

And before I could even do a thing to fight back, the giant serpentine Pokemon rose up to its full height, hissing madly. I let out a screech and threw my arms up to protect myself, but it was useless. The Pokemon sprang forward, its whole body weight slamming into me and knocking me flat onto my back. Pain exploded in angry bursts up and down my spine and the back of my head, before silence fell and an inky gloom descended.

When I came to again, the first thing I knew was that I was freezing cold.

The next thing I knew was a pair of yellow glowing eyes staring at me.

I shrieked and tried to move, but my body was oddly constricted and I couldn't move it, no matter how hard I tried. Suddenly, a light came on overhead and I realised I was in a tiny room, wrapped up in the long, coiled body of the serpentine Pokemon from earlier. I fought the urge to scream but the sight of the bared teeth of the Pokemon that had me in its grasp was so terrifying that I forced myself to keep quiet. I struggled uselessly before the sharp clack-clack-clack of pointed heels on the floor alerted me to someone's presence and I looked up to see Helene push her way into the tiny room, a smile adorning her angular face.

"Where… where I am?!" I asked at once.

"Relax, silly girl. You're not as far away from your precious father, actually," she smirked. "Certainly not as far away as I would have liked to have taken you. I can't take you too far, you know? As amazing as my technology is, it has an unfortunately short range…"

"Tech…technology…?"

"Surely my reputation precedes me?"

I looked at her blankly.

"Ah, non… she does not know who I am…" She said with an abrupt sigh. "Very well. Perhaps it would be best to introduce myself properly." Another smile slowly inched over her face. "Dr. Helene Fontaine, holder of two masters degrees in chemistry and engineering and a PhD in neurology, youngest ever female professor appointed to Castelia University and one of the most well known and respected names in the field of Pokemon neuroscience. I like to know why things work and how things work, especially when it comes to the brain. That one little organ that keeps us alive, keeps us functioning, defines everything about us, what we do and why we do it. And I like to experiment with that organ. I like to see what happens when we poke this, or prod this, take this bit out, or cut a hole in that bit. I like knowing what parts of the brain do what, why they do it, and what happens to a person, or a Pokemon, when the brain is changed around. And well, you know, I've discovered something very interesting in all my years as a researcher and professor."

"What…?" I whispered hoarsely.

"It's always been a hot topic among people in my field if there's a way to control Pokemon without ever needing a Pokeball to capture them. We've never really understood what it is about being captured that enforces a Pokemon's obedience. Is it something biological, maybe? Some chemical change in the brain that we've never been aware of that happens without us knowing when it gets trapped in that Pokeball? Or is it psychological? Do Pokemon behave because they are expected or assumed to behave? What is it about being captured, about being sucked into a Pokeball that can turn even the most aggressive of beasts into obedient, well-mannered, peaceful and loving little creatures totally at the mercy of their trainers? And is there some way to revert Pokemon to that way without having to release them?"

I took in a sharp intake of breath.

"It took me years of research to finally come up with a tangible hypothesis, and even longer to test and conclude my findings. Along the way, I became involved with Team Plasma. They were interested in the liberation of Pokemon, and I guess I was too, in a sense. I wanted to know if releasing Pokemon from their Pokeballs would revert them back to a 'neutral' state, completely able to be moulded and manipulated again, or if the memories of their trainers would still impact their later behaviour. Working alongside Team Plasma gave me access to all the research labs and equipment and Pokemon test subjects I ever wanted. And of course, that's when I met Nathan…"

I grimaced.

"He found my work very interesting, to say the least. He's always been intrigued by the idea of controlling Pokemon, you see? The plans he devised for going after the legendary Pokemon were brilliant, just brilliant. But of course… they were spoiled… By Cal Volbeda's idiocy, by your interference, and might I just say, my absence. I daresay, he would have succeeded were I not kept from assisting."

"You're full of yourself!" I found myself spitting.

"It's the truth," she said calmly. "Nathan's a powerful man, but he lacks the grey matter necessary…" she tapped on her forehead a few times, a cool smile slipping across her face. "… to pull off such an important operation,"

"Oh, and I suppose you do!"

"Of course I do," Helene said primly, with an irritated toss of her head that reminded me of an angry Tauros. "That man would be nothing without me. He'd have achieved nothing without me. Let alone what I did to your Pokemon."

"What you did to our Pokemon…?" I asked slowly. "What… what did you do to our Pokemon?"

Helene was still sneering, her thin lips twitching. "How much do you know about the brain, Sienna?"

I blinked slowly. "The brain? N...not much..." I admitted truthfully.

"Shame," Helene said scathingly. "But then again, I didn't expect anything less. You're rather uneducated, aren't you?"

"Uneducated?!"

"Yes. People like you really ought to learn about more worthwhile things. Take the brain for example. It's a remarkable, remarkable organ. It controls everything, like I said. And if you play around with it, tweak it, change it even in the slightest of ways, you can change a person's behaviour completely. And in fact, with enough probing and change, you can change their very essence."

"Change their essence...?" I whispered.

"Yes. Now tell me, you must at least have heard of the case of Phineas Gage?"

The name wasn't altogether unfamiliar to me, but I could not remember for the life of me where I had heard it before or what it was associated with, so I had no choice but to shake my head.

"Ugh," Helene sounded disgusted. "You lack the knowledge even of a basic, high school level of Biology. I weep for your generation. But no mind! Phineas Gage… Perhaps one of the most famous and important cases in all medical and psychological history. This man… this gentle, mild-mannered, smart, well-behaved, good man, sustained a very serious injury… he had an iron rod driven through his head, destroying much of the frontal lobe of his brain. Remarkably though, this man survived. But his survival came at a price. After recovering from the accident, people were shocked to discover that he was a totally changed man. He became aggressive, lied, thieved, bullied and engaged in all manner of highly inappropriate behaviour. He, quite simply, was no longer himself. And it was from this that I gained inspiration for my experiments."

"Oh my God…"

"If frontal lobe damage can cause this level of change in a human, then I theorised that, naturally, the same should apply to Pokemon. I mean, I'm not here to talk to you about driving an iron rod through the heads of Pokemon and performing lobotomies on them and I'm certainly not here to talk about mind control or any of that gimmicky sci-fi stuff. I'm talking about making some very subtle changes to elicit aggression."

"Aggression?"

Helene nodded. "Aggression. Pokemon are very sucespitble to aggression. Their brains aren't as well developed as humans' are, so they're more sucesptible to the extremes, shall we say? Subtle changes in brain chemistry or stimulation to certain lobes have much more of an effect on a Pokemon than would on humans."

"Oh my God...!" This was starting to sound like something out of a cheap sci-fi thriller. "What... What have you done to them?"

Helene was smiling. "Are you familiar with the hypothalamus?"

"The hypo...what?" I asked, my brow furrowing.

"Hypothalamus," Helene repeated calmly. "It's a tiny portion of the midbrain, no bigger than this…" she measured out a tiny gap between her thumb and forefinger that was barely even a centimetre long. "…just above the brain stem. It does a lot of things, you know? It's responsible for metabolic processes, it synthesises neurohormones and stimulates and inhibits pituitary hormones. It also controls body temperature, hunger, thirst and sleep cycles. It's a remarkable little thing, really."

"I… I don't understand…" I whispered, the intimidating sciencey words bouncing off me ineffectively and dissipating.

"Believe it or not, but the hypothalamus is also responsible for behavioural aggression." Helene said with a keen smile. "And I discovered after a lot of research that electrical stimulation of the hypothalamus can create aggressive behaviour in most species of Pokemon."

"What…?!" I whispered hoarsely.

"So I built this handy little device that lets out a tiny electrical impulse in order to fulfil this very idea. It's not enough to affect any appliances or even be noticeable to affect any humans adversely. It works just a little like a brain scan. Enough to do what it's supposed to, but not enough to affect anyone else. Now," she said, with a devious smile. "The electrical currant this device emits is just strong enough to be able to penetrate the skulls of the Pokemon around us and stimulate the hypothalamus, thereby causing the aggressive behaviour you've seen."

I could barely even process what Helene was telling me anymore. This woman had purposefully meddled with Pokemon's brains?! And what's more, she had succeeded?! She had totally changed the behaviour of Pokemon just by a simple electrical stimulation of an area of the brain!? She was still talking as I gawped, in total disbelief, talking constantly about how clever she was to create this device, and that I simply couldn't comprehend the brilliance behind the design and creation of this plan. I didn't know what to do. I knew that there was likely so much more behind Helene's little device, or whatever it was she had made, but at this point I was beyond caring...

I was terrified, plain and simple. Somehow, the idea that someone had manipulated my Pokemon, changed them from the inside out by something as simple as an electrical stimulation, and left them totally uncontrollable and alien to me, like they were nothing more like wild Pokemon, was scarier than the idea of someone with a legendary Pokemon at their control. I began to tremble all over. I had always privately thought to myself that so long as I had my Pokemon at my side, and the people I loved and trusted had their Pokemon at their sides, that if anything like this had happened again, we would be able to stop it one way or another. Because I know for a fact that I and the people I love are strong. We'd proved it once and we would prove it again if we had to. But now, we were powerless. As trainers, we had been stripped of our precious friends, our means of protecting ourselves and protecring the people we loved. We were helpless now. Our Pokemon were in the clutches of this mad, brains-obsessed scientist who had somehow managed to change them beyond all comprehension. Tears began pricking at my eyes. My poor Meloi, Aurora, Monty, Kiba, Indigo and Cairo… They were totally beyond my reach now… Would they even know me if I released them? Would they recognise me? Could I even hope to somehow bring them back? I took in a shaky breath, tears beginning to slip out.

"What am I going to do…?" I thought in devastated horror. "My Pokemon… my poor Pokemon…"

This was worse than anything I could have ever imagined. Now that I finally understood what Helene had done to my Pokemon, our Pokemon, I could see just what a hopeless situation we were in. A Pokemon trainer was reliant on their Pokemon, as much as I hated to admit it, and the partnership that existed between them was both crucial to their survival and so emotionally precious… the idea of losing that, losing my beautiful friendships with my amazing Pokemon was simply heart-wrenchingly sad. I felt like someone had ripped my still beating heart from my chest and trod on it. Horrifying thoughts forced their way to the front of my mind. Were my Pokemon… lost to me now? What was going to happen? I had to stop Nathan and Helene, somehow… but how could I without my Pokemon? How could I do anything with Pokemon that likely wouldn't even recognise me? Pokemon that wouldn't even listen to me? Pokemon that probably attack me sooner than attack the real bad guys? Without my Pokemon… I was nothing.

And that idea was far scarier than anything I'd ever imagined before. Even scarier than the thought of a raving madman with all the legendary Pokemon in the world at his beck and call.

I put my head down and began to sniff, the threat of tears now almost impossible to ignore, my restricted hands still desperately searching for the familiar weights of the Pokeballs around my waist. I could not reach them; the Serperior had me in such a tight grip I couldn't even so much as wiggle one single finger.

"Don't cry, Sienna…" I told myself between fevered gasps as the tears began and the sobs sounded out. "What good… will crying… do…?"

And although I knew it would serve me no help, that it would fulfil no purpose, I burst into loud, angry, furious, devastated sobs. I looked up at Helene, my vision marred with tears, feeling such a surge of hatred towards this woman I had only just met, that had I been free from the constricting binds of her Serperior, I would have knocked her flat on her back and pounded her head into the floor until she stopped moving…

I was all alone. I didn't even know where I was. The people I loved were in severe danger. And although my Pokemon were safe inside the Pokeballs that lay attached to the Pokebelt fastened securely around my waist, they were as good as lost to me. Nathan and Helene had taken my Pokemon from me in quite possibly the most nightmarish way possible.

And I didn't know how I was going to get them back

Author's Note

Hey guys!

Well, first off I can only apologise for the very long hiatus… University was crazy during November and December with exams and mountains of coursework, and I had NaNoWriMo in November, which I miraculously actually managed to achieve!

But yes, I'm back, and I'm back for good until Free Spirits is concluded =)

Once I get back into my routine, I'll start doing the personal replies again, but for now, thanks to The Neverending Meep, WildCroconaw, MasterFreezeman, ArchXDeath, Shadow Serenity 57, TwewyReaperGirl and Warriorswift for the wonderful reviews =)

Until next time, guys =)

Oh, and Merry Christmas and I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year when it comes =)