The Dark Side of Innocence
-PART TWELVE-
by Anna Sartin
.
Butch and Cassidy were not Mondo's favorite people.
While the devious duo had many friends in the organization, their less than amicable attitude had earned them an equal number of rivals who would have been more than happy to see the pair dropped off a cliff or vanish off the face of the planet. Mondo's dislike of the two didn't run that deep, but Butch had never been anything but condescending to him and Cassidy took every opportunity to drag Jessie's name through the dirt. Jessie despised Cassidy with equal intensity (which, Jessie declared, was with all her heart and soul). It didn't take much to set the two women at each other's throats; a few years ago they'd gotten into a brawl in the HQ cafeteria over the last container of sliced pineapple.
I was afraid they'd both be fired that day... Mondo recalled, thinking back on the event. He was the one who'd had to mop the floor afterwards.
Cassidy had come up behind Jessie and snatched the fruit just as Jessie was reaching for it. Jessie snatched it back and with a quick turn of the head used her massive mane of hair to knock the other Rocket to the floor. Cassidy's tray of food also hit the floor, splattering all over her uniform. Growling, she rose slightly and with a sweeping kick knocked Jessie off her feet. The red-haired woman landed on her backside but was up in a flash swinging a mallet she seemed to have pulled out of nowhere. Cassidy wielded her now empty lunch tray. Butch grabbed the mallet out of Jessie's hand (earning himself a kick in the stomach for his troubles) while James tried to relieve Cassidy of the lunch tray. He succeeded, after a fashion, when Cassidy sent it crashing down on his head. After that the two men stayed out of it. Everyone in the cafeteria watched spellbound as the young women fought, each trying to force the other into submission as they wrestled on the floor until a pair of high-ranking agents walked in on the scene and put a stop to it. Jessie had come out on top and triumphantly handed the now crushed container of pineapple to James- who she'd originally been getting it for- before she and Cassidy were escorted out and reprimanded. A few hours later Mondo overheard Cassidy telling her partner that she didn't even LIKE pineapple, she just hadn't wanted Jessie to have it. Butch, despite the kick in the gut he'd received earlier, found the entire incident hilarious.
Mondo didn't know what to make of them.
The boss, according to Jessie, had really laid into them. Apparently he'd threatened to handcuff them together for a day to teach them a lesson if anything of the sort ever happened again. There had been no more physical altercations after that. Mondo had to admit that Giovanni, despite the flaws in his moral character, had been a smart man.
And now he's dead, he reminded himself grimly. And if Domino has her way, Butch and Cassidy will be as well.
Despite how obnoxious the pair could be, he knew they didn't deserve to be murdered in the same gruesome way Lana and Giovanni had died. Having nothing whatsoever to do with this situation they were, probably for the first time in years, truly innocent. In fact, when Mondo considered it, Butch and Cassidy were probably more innocent than he ever would be again. He couldn't let them die.
I have to do something...
Mondo stood in the hallway outside Giovanni's office, his heart racing as he retrieved his fallen grunt cap from the floor. The sound of the Persian on the other side of the door shook him to the core, but it also steeled his growing resolve to make sure no one else got hurt. He had to find a way to keep Butch and Cassidy away from here.
I've got to stop this. I helped Meowth drug that Persian and I'm the one who put it in Giovanni's office. If they die it will be my fault.
He couldn't handle two more deaths on his hands. His sense of self was hanging by a thread as it is, and it wasn't going to take much more to push him over the edge. He briefly considered releasing his Tauros from its pokéball and having it charge down the hall and send Butch and Cassidy running in the opposite direction but quickly dismissed the idea as foolhardy. A raging Pokémon tearing through the halls of Team Rocket Headquarters would attract too much attention and bring even more people here to investigate. If he wanted to avoid a blood bath he was going to need a more subtle approach. Besides, he needed to do more than just keep them away from the boss's office. He needed to get them away from Team Rocket HQ altogether. If they weren't here, Domino would have no reason to consider them a threat to her plans.
"I have to get them away from here," Mondo whispered as he put the cap back on his head. It was too late to undo his past mistakes, but he now felt more sure of himself then he had since before Lana's death. There were no doubts, no second guessing himself this time. He knew for a fact that this was the right thing to do. "I have to save them. "
He walked down the hallway and round the corner. Voices could be heard coming up the stairs.
"The Boss is the only one who ever gets it right," Butch was saying. "Even his secratary can't remember my name!"
"Do you remember hers?" Cassidy inquired.
"Well... no... but that's not the point!"
"Right."
"Do you know what the guy in accounts calls me? BUGSY! And that snide little bastard in the supply room called me CROTCH the other day!"
Cassidy, who spent the majority of her everyday life with her partner, knew all of this already.
"And why does every message we get from that eccentric old fool Mambo say BIFF and Cassidy, huh?" Butch asked. "Biff isn't even a real name!"
"I thought his name was Namba?"
"That's not the point!"
"Don't know what to tell you, Bush."
"It's BUTCH!"
Cassidy laughed. "I know."
Butch groaned. "Why must you all torment me?"
Mondo took a deep breath and approached them as they reached the landing.
It's now or never... "Cassidy! Butch!"
"What do you want, kid?" Butch asked. He wasn't known for his politeness in general, especially to those he deemed beneath him. He held a particular dislike of Mondo for his hero-worship of Jessie and James.
Mondo ignored his tone of voice and addressed Cassidy instead. "I've got a message from the boss. He wants you to fly to the Sinnoh region immediately."
"The Sinnoh region?" Cassidy asked. "Yesterday we were told he had orders for us to meet up with Pierce in Unova."
Mondo didn't want them anywhere near Unova. It was obvious that Domino intended for the duo to die here, but he could see her having a backup plan to send them to a far-off region to be secretly disposed of. It was unlikely Pierce had any idea what was going on here at HQ and he too might be pulled into whatever trap she'd set up once Butch and Cassidy arrived.
"Well, plans change," Mondo told the agents in front of him, not losing his cool for a moment. "The boss wants you to bring him a Glameow. A male Glameow." He'd heard that males of that species were harder to find and he hoped that by sending them after one it would keep them busy and away from headquarters for a while.
"Are you serious?" Cassidy asked, clearly annoyed. "He wants us to fly all the way to Sinnoh to bring him a CAT?"
"Not again..." Butch groaned, remembering their last mission to retrieve a cat-type. Not only had they failed to steal the Delcatty they'd been ordered to get, but they'd been sorely humiliated by the boy who owned it and two little girls who'd insisted on sticking their noses in their business. "Since when do we take orders from you, short-stack?" he asked Mondo.
Since you decided you like being alive. Mondo thought grimly. "Since the boss ordered me to relay his orders," he said out loud.
"Where's Domino?" Cassidy asked. "She was the one who told us to meet the boss here."
"Not my business," Mondo replied, doing a perfect imitation of Agatha. "I just do what I'm told." That's been my problem all along, apparently.
"Looks like it's finally getting you somewhere," Cassidy remarked. "You look good in a real uniform."
"He needs to grow into it," Butch commented, eying Mondo's over-sized shirt and slightly baggy pants. "But if he's done hanging out with the loser trio maybe we could teach him a thing or two."
Mondo glared at him. When Mamoswine fly!
"It's about time he stopped trying to imitate that idiot James," Cassidy agreed. "Poor boy got stuck with the worst agents in the history of the organization. It's no wonder it took the boss so long to promote him."
Mondo clenched his fists, briefly considering just walking away and leaving them to the tender mercies of the crazed Pokémon that was no doubt tearing up their former boss's office as they spoke. No! he told himself forcefully. No more killing. No more death!
"Well, it looks like we've got a Glameow to steal," Butch sighed as he turned to leave. "Let's go, Casey."
"It's CASSIDY!"
Butch grinned. "Now you know how I feel!"
Cassidy rolled her eyes, trying to not to laugh as they walked over to the elevator. "Whatever." She playfully bumped her partner in the side and he did the same in return.
There was a certain chemistry between the two of them that reminded Mondo of Jessie and James. He couldn't deduce the nature of Butch and Cassidy's relationship but the bond between them was easy to see. They'd both voiced the opinion that the world would be a better place without love in it, but quite often their body language spoke otherwise. Who knew what the future held for them? Domino, in her greed and lack of reverence for human life, would have denied them the same thing Giovanni tried to take from Jessie and James.
If she succeeds in taking over, she'll be no better than Giovanni... The thought made Mondo's heart sink. They'd sacrificed so much, Lana had even given up her life, just to replace one self-serving murderer with another.
"See you around, kid," Cassidy waved as she and her partner entered the elevator. Mondo noticed that the two had joined hands.
"Bye..." His voice was almost a whisper. Good luck, both of you...
As the elevator door closed and the two agents disappeared from view, Mondo knew in his heart that he'd finally managed to do something right after all.
. . .
He hadn't planned on running down twelve flights of stairs that evening, but when the Persian trapped in Giovanni's office began vocally expressing its displeasure at being trapped alone in the room with loud, drawn-out yowling Mondo's body started running long before his mind had time to catch up. He'd run down the first flight of stairs with his hands covering his ears.
What a horrible sound!
He had no idea what was going to happen to that creature or to the one Domino had abandoned on the roof, but he could not afford to make it his problem. He had to escape, and fast.
Using the stairs instead of the elevator to keep from being seen seemed like the wise thing to do, but by the time Mondo reached the ground floor his legs were making him wish he'd taken the risk. His throat was burning and his lungs felt like they were going to burst. Still, he forced himself to keep sprinting in spite of his tired lungs and aching legs.
Almost there...
He rounded the corner and literally ran into an agent leading a group of Pokémon, causing them both to hit the floor. The other man tripped over the Cherubi behind him and fell on the Mawile behind it. In the confusion a pearl was knocked off the head of a Spoink in the group and the pink object bounced off the wall and went flying in Mondo's direction. It hit him square in the face.
"Ow..."
"I'm so sorry! Are you all right?"
Mondo found himself being helped to his feet by a young Rocket not much older than himself. He had dark green hair the same color as Lana's. Behind him were a number of Pokémon, some of which Mondo didn't recognize. None were native to the Kanto region. The Spoink waved its arms frantically, clearly upset by the loss of its pearl.
"Here you go," Mondo said, placing it back on the agitated creature's head. Spoink calmed immediately, its eyes shining as it stared up at him worshipfully.
"Spoink!"
"Are all these Pokémon yours?" Mondo asked, wondering why the guy didn't keep them in Pokéballs.
"No, these Pokémon aren't mine," he explained. "I'm delivering them to one of the labs."
"Who are you?" Mondo asked. He thought he knew everyone at Team Rocket Headquarters but he'd never seen this person before.
"I'm David, the new delivery service trainee."
So this is the person who got my old job.
"I didn't hurt you, did I?" David asked Cherubi and Mawile kindly. "I'm sorry for tripping over you."
Mondo stared at him dully, wondering what had driven him to ruin his life by joining Team Rocket. Had he been sucked in by the same promises of money, power and glory that he and every other Rocket had succumb to? It was so sad it was almost laughable, but even more laughable was the fact that a few weeks ago Mondo himself had been just as deluded as the others. More so, even, because unlike everyone else Mondo had never stopped to consider the consequences of his actions. For years he'd cheerfully transported weapons, supplies and Pokémon to thieves as though he were delivering pizzas or newspapers door-to-door. He couldn't decide if he'd been insane then or if he was going insane now; but looking back made him realize just how completely out of touch with reality he had been. Ironically, he found that he'd almost rather go back to living that delusion than carry the burden of knowledge he possessed now; but his days of being divorced from reality were over. Intense guilt, grief and hopelessness infused every fiber of his being, creating a suffocating pain that he couldn't begin to describe. He would give anything to lose it.
"Why did you join Team Rocket?" he asked, looking David in the eye. He didn't seem like Team Rocket material. He looked, as Agatha had described Mondo himself, like he'd never stolen anything in his life. What was he doing here? "This isn't a game, and if you value your life you'll get out while you can."
David blinked. "What?"
"It isn't safe here. Many who join this organization never leave it."
David stared at him, taken aback by his frankness. He knew this quite well, but he hadn't expected to hear it his first day on base from a boy younger than himself.
"In the beginning, those who disgusted the boss with their failure got fired," Mondo continued. "They were the lucky ones. Nowadays death can be the price you pay for your failure, or it can be the reward you receive for your success." As he said this he imagined Domino sitting at Giovanni's desk, happily taking over the job of the man she had helped to murder.
David continued to stare, unable to speak. The person standing in front of him sounded as if he were many years his senior. The Spoink bounced cheerfully at Mondo's feet, balancing the large pearl on top of its head. He ignored it.
"Did you think people come here to play Cops and Robbers?" Mondo asked coldly. "Or maybe you hoped for a promising career as a thief..."
"I... came to find my sister," David responded. "She works for Team Rocket."
Mondo's heart skipped a beat. He stared at the young man more closely, turning white as he examined his features. It couldn't be... the same green hair, the same kind eyes... it couldn't be!
"What's your sister's name?" Mondo asked slowly.
"It's Lana."
No. Oh god, NO!
"Leave this place," Mondo commanded, fighting with himself not to break down and weep. "For your sister's sake, get out while you still can!" With that he turned from him and ran, away from the eyes that would now haunt him for the rest of his life. He could hear Lana's voice in his head...
"My brother and I were always close. I often wonder where he is and what he's doing... I'll probably never see my family again. That's the price I paid... for selling my soul to Team Rocket."
No... Mondo thought as he raced toward the exit. That's the price you paid for being my friend. That's the price you paid for believing in me!
"Forgive me, Lana!" he sobbed, as he reached the exit. "I'm so sorry!"
He could never be forgiven, he knew that. The only person who could ever forgive him was dead, and he knew he would never forgive himself. He could never bring her back, never truely redeem himself for her death. And he could never face the young man he'd just run away from. His tears blinded his vision as he reached the balloon.
Meowth was sitting in front of it, covered in blood.
. . .
"Meowth?" Mondo knelt down in front of him. His fur was caked with blood, and the smell was dreadful. "Meowth, what happened? You're bleeding!"
Meowth shook his head. "It's not mine..." The cat-type pointed to the side of the building. "THAT fell on Meowth."
Mondo looked in the direction the Pokémon was pointing and nearly screamed. A severed hand lay on the ground. He approached the gory object and immediately recognized Giovanni's rings on the second and third fingers. He fell to his knees, retching.
No more... Please, no more...
Meowth empathized with his friend. He'd done the same himself when it had first happened. It had landed on his head, fingers spread out, as if trying to grab him. He'd nearly passed out. The smell was making him retch all over again but there was no place to wash the blood off. He certainly wasn't going to lick it off.
"We have ta get outta here," he said, when Mondo had finished emptying his stomach of its contents.
"I know."
"What took ya so long? Meowth was gettin' worried!"
"I... I just saw..."
"Spoink!"
They turned around. Mondo realized that the Spoink had followed him.
"Go back!" Mondo told it, as he and Meowth climbed into the basket of the balloon.
"Spoink?"
"I think it wants ta come with us," Meowth said.
"I'm not your master. Go back!" Mondo commanded, pointing to the building they had just exited.
"Spoink!" the creature cried pitiously, trying to reach Mondo.
"It says not to leave 'em behind," Meowth translated.
"It doesn't belong to us!"
Spoink bounced higher, trying to reach the edge of the basket as it began to rise into the air. "SPOINK!"
I can't do it... Mondo thought. Haven't I stolen enough from that guy already? It's my fault he'll never see his sister again.
"SPOIIIINK!"
To his and Meowth's surprise the balloon began to descend back to the ground.
"What the...?"
Spoink was using Psychic to bring them back.
The basket hit the ground and Mondo climbed out of it to face the determined creature, when suddenly a new thought came to him. David had chosen to sign up for a life of crime. Spoink hadn't. As Team Rocket property this creature would be at the mercy of whatever curious scientist, greedy opportunist or disgruntled agent got their hands on it, to be used for whatever vile purpose they wanted and discarded when they could get no more use out of it.
Just like Persian...
In fact, with Spoink's powerful psychic abilities it would be a prime candidate for scientific research. He felt his hand reach for an empty pokéball.
This isn't right... is it? I don't know. I don't know anything anymore. He closed his eyes. Lana, I'm sorry...
"Pokéball, GO!"
-CONTINUED IN PART THIRTEEN-