Author's Notes:
Hey, folks! Just a quickie this week, but review responses will come eventually! Why? Because I'm currently away on vacation to a spot with limited internet, and I'm kiiiiiinda posting this past midnight when I shouldn't be on. Oops. Long story short, sorry I wasn't able to respond this week, but I swear, those replies will be up in a couple of days.
In the meantime, shout-out to Doreh, Jeffrey Seven, and Neophilic for the words of awesome this time around. :D I'll go a bit deeper into this once I'm able, but I just want to say crit is totally and 100% encouraged. So to Doreh, I think I get what you mean. Like, that was a lengthier chapter, and there were some bits that could totally have been edited out. If you can remember the bits you kept wanting to skip over, that would be sweet, but if not, no worries! I'll play with the chapter anyway. ;D
(Or, well, that's probably the entire gist of what I was going to say in the review response, but, uh. *flee!*)
Eight
D.E.V.A. CLEARANCE LEVEL 1
CLEARANCE ACCEPTED.
DOCUMENT TYPE: DOSSIER
DESIGNATION: D.E.V.A. PERSONNEL CODEX ENTRY #542981
DESCRIPTION: YELED PROTOCOL—ESSENTIAL INFORMATION, LATEST UPDATE
DATE-TIME: 25/01/01, 11:16 (LAST EDITED)
YELED PROTOCOL: Standard operations pertaining to Team Rocket activity in relation to children of key D.E.V.A. operatives.
HISTORY: From 1977 to 1978, Professor John George McKenzie unwittingly participated in Project M2, a full-scale scientific project commissioned by Team Rocket. (See CODEX ENTRY #234250: TEAM ROCKET.) Its chief purpose was to clone SE-003 ("Mew") for specific use by Team Rocket in their goals for global domination. Its front was that of a cloning project dedicated to unlocking the potential of pokémon stem cells. Upon learning the true intentions of Project M2's benefactor, McKenzie fled Team Rocket and contacted D.E.V.A. operatives in Goldenrod City, Johto. In exchange for protection, McKenzie offered his services as a researcher for the Special Entity Index Project. Then-director [REDACTED] accepted and, with the approval of the Committee, drafted the first Yeled Protocol. This document was presented to Rocket boss Adriana di Razzo, who readily accepted its terms.
DETAILS: The Yeled Protocol prevents Team Rocket from harming (directly or indirectly) or capturing individuals under its protection. Violations of the Yeled Protocol result in the authorization of Task Force Omega to utilize Special Entities, such as and most preferably 016 ("Celebi") and 049 ("Giratina"), to exterminate any known traces of Team Rocket from the international underworld.
INDIVIDUALS UNDER YELED PROTECTION:
* Christina Lynn McKenzie ("Christa"), daughter of John McKenzie
* William Henry McKenzie ("Bill"), son of John McKenzie—SEE CODEX ENTRY #645279: MCKENZIE, WILLIAM H
* Rachel Hope McKenzie ("Raye"), daughter of John McKenzie
RELATED ARTICLES:
* CODEX ENTRY #234250: Team Rocket
* CODEX ENTRY #645279: McKenzie, William H
* OMEGA REPORT #000473: The Adam Incident
* PERSONNEL FILE: McKenzie, John G
—
Professor John McKenzie stood at the front desk of Polaris Institute's security office, where he toyed with the USB drive he had swiped from an officer. Part of him wanted to play the part of ornery old man, if only because it had been a very, very long day for him. Granted, no one but the agents he had within Polaris would know why he was ornery, but it would at least be mildly entertaining.
Alternatively, he could play up the facade he presented to the world for the past twenty years: that of a slacker and a lecherous old man with a gambling habit. It was so easy to go with that persona, to pretend he was simply bored with the world and with pokémon research and that it was some kind of complete fluke that he was invited to participate in Project Stardust at all. He could go any of a number of ways with this, and he knew Professor Oak would see through them all. After all, John was one of the world's foremost experts on pokémon genetics and biophysics and the man who spent a decade creating the index of pokémon moves the International Pokémon League Association used as its legal move dex. His passion, at one time, exceeded the fire his son presently felt for his own work. John would be the one most likely to spend days camped out near a freezing lake just for the opportunity to see a magikarp use Tackle once. He would be the one who would spend hours in a laboratory poring over the same string of DNA to figure out whether or not crossbreeding between types introduced the tiniest alterations to a hatchling's weaknesses and resistances. At one time, he knew more and did more than any other pokémon researcher in the Symposium.
Yet for the past twenty years, he had done nothing but gamble away his personal funds. Not even Professor Oak knew why. And out of all the contacts John once had during his glory days, Professor Oak was the only one who bothered asking him at least once a year for those two decades. It seemed as if only Professor Oak remembered what John had been all that time ago.
And if he had to be honest, John preferred it that way. For reasons that were more obvious to anyone within D.E.V.A. than to an outsider, of course.
Presently, John looked up to see a security officer walk into the room and approach the desk. He still hadn't decided on which way to greet this officer, and because of that, he stared at her neutrally, regarding her as if he wouldn't even care if she tased him right then and there.
"Sorry about that," she said. "It seems the head of the biophysics team is in an experiment at the moment, but Professor Oak should still be arriving any moment to—where did you get that?"
John glanced down at the USB drive. He would recognize the design anywhere: the twisting, vine-like gold patterns on the blue shell. Sometimes he questioned his son's tastes, but he took pleasure in the idea that Bill's over-the-top flamboyance was just his way of rebelling against social norm. John had raised him well, in other words. According to his own interpretation of his son's nature, anyway.
"You know, you really should lock up your lost-and-found," he said. "Or at least not keep the things you confiscate right on your bleedin' desks."
The officer reeled back and struggled to maintain official composure. "We were analyzing it. The programs on it were far more advanced than anything we've ever seen."
"Of course they would be," John responded as he put the USB drive in his breast pocket. "Look at who you took it from. But if you must know, this very likely contains a remote login utility designed to crack even the most advanced security measures. So when you say advanced, of course you mean that, and I'll give you that. But if you don't mind me saying, lass, it's not that much of a mystery." He pointed to the area behind her. "You got his laptop too?"
"Yes. We confiscate all computer equipment at the checkpoint to prevent the communication of classified information."
"Yeah, well, I'm gonna need that."
"I'm afraid that's impossible." The officer held out a hand. "In fact, I'll need to ask for that USB drive back."
John raised an eyebrow. It looked like he had to go with the ornery old man act after all—not so much out of obligation as it was because this was just too good of a chance to pass up.
"Then ask," he said.
Her eyes widened, and her mouth moved loosely while she struggled to come up with a response. At last, she found her voice.
"May I have that USB drive back, please?"
John drew himself away from the desk. "No."
She stared at him, dumbfounded, as the door finally swung open. In walked Professor Oak, who took one look at the security officer, then John, and then back at the security officer.
"Professor McKenzie, isn't it a little early to start antagonizing my staff?"
"Oi! What kind of greeting is that?!" John responded. "Professor McKenzie. You didn't call me that in college, ya old coot!"
He walked forward and held out his hand. Oak took it, and as the two shook, John threw his free arm over his companion's shoulder to smack him on the back in a half-hug. When they separated, both of them were smirking widely at each other.
"My God, you turned ugly," John said. "Look at ya! How much sleep are you gettin', ya old dog? Looks like it's not enough; you look older than Rowan!"
"Good to see you haven't changed, John," Oak responded. "How was your flight?"
"Terrible. The flight attendants wouldn't even look at me," he answered. "You pinch one of 'em in the bum, and all of a sudden, the whole plane's leery at you."
Oak's grin wavered. The problem with John, in his opinion, was that claims like that could very well be true. But the man was brilliant and amicable if one got to know him, and that was what mattered in Oak's book. Or at least that's what he thought for the past forty years, ever since the two of them met as Professor Rowan's research assistants.
"Still can't keep yourself out of trouble, I see," Oak said. "Some things really don't ever change."
John grinned. "And why should they? Riko still loves me." His hand made a motion in the air, as if to tip an invisible hat. "By the way, she sends her regards."
"Mm. And the rest of your family?"
He shrugged. "Dad's still as daft as ever. Forgot what a pikachu was the other day. And Christa's up for the next Kalos League Championship." Then, he frowned. "And they still haven't found my Rachel, and you know exactly how William's doing."
Oak visibly flinched at the last one, his smile fading within seconds. "Yes. I'm sorry, John. I don't think I can express that enough."
"Not your fault."
"It isn't Bill's either. I want you to know that."
"I already do."
Oak looked at John for a long time. The expression on John's face had turned dark and serious. For the first time, he tried to drop his facade and let Oak know, wordlessly, that he knew. That he knew exactly what was going on in this facility, that he knew that Rocket agents were infesting the personnel, that he knew that there was an individual in this fortress directly responsible for Bill's infection and the violation of a protocol Oak had never heard of, and that he knew this person wore a red R emblazoned on their chest.
But he didn't say anything, and he left it at that. In the next instant, he was grinning again and wrapping his arm around Oak's shoulders.
"Enough about that. Let's talk business. What do I need to know about Project Stardust before I begin my work here?" he asked.
"Well, actually, John, that's something I need to talk to you about," Oak replied. "You know about the infection of two personnel here at Polaris, including your son. We still have the second victim, but Bill's recently escaped. I've already asked the Committee to see if we can send someone to find him and bring him back while his collar is still communicating his location."
"No, no," John replied, "besides that."
Oak gave him one last curious glance as his partner opened the door.
—
"You don't get it. Ixodida cannot be reasoned with! They're not pets, and they're not pokémon, okay?"
"No, you don't get it. This one spoke, Officer Jenny."
"We've seen ones that could speak! In case you need to be reminded, those wound up being the most dangerous because they told the ones that couldn't speak to attack us in massive, orchestrated groups. Look at what happened to Mauville City!"
Bill flinched. The voice was so loud, so grating, so harsh, that it penetrated his ears like knives stabbed directly into his eardrums.
"If it's so dangerous, then why didn't it hurt anyone?"
"Because we outnumbered it!"
One of the two speakers heaved a sigh.
Bill stirred in the lull, feeling his surroundings for the first time. There was something soft underneath him, and it felt like he was surrounded by warmth, even though he couldn't feel anything covering his body. His fingers pushed into the cushion beneath him, and he noticed that all of the pain he had experienced earlier had vanished. There was no pins-and-needles sensation, no pain, no stiffness, nothing to indicate that he had been in a battle. It was as if he had merely fallen asleep, not fainted from agony and exhaustion.
"I don't know," Nurse Joy replied. "It seemed so fond of Rachel. It looked like it was trying to protect her at the end. And what do you think it meant when it said that it was hers?"
"She's my sister," Bill mumbled.
Simultaneously, both women responded, "Huh?"
Bill opened his eyes and groaned. He could see the glassy dome of a medical pod arcing over his field of vision. That at least explained why he couldn't feel any pain. Above him, the face of Nurse Joy slid into view, peering at his face with concern. She placed her hands on the Plexiglas dome as she examined him through it.
"It's awake," she said with a heavy sigh of relief.
Officer Jenny cursed behind her. Ignoring her companion, Nurse Joy reached down to tap a few keys at the base of the medical pod. Bill could hear the soft beeping of each command she wrote.
"Wait! What are you doing?!" Officer Jenny cried.
"Opening the medical pod," Nurse Joy answered. "I can't examine it if it's confined."
"Are you crazy?!"
Jenny stormed forward and grabbed Joy's wrists. She turned roughly and pulled Joy's hands away from the machinery.
"You open that thing, and there's no telling what it'll do," she hissed.
"It's weak," Joy replied as she yanked her hands out of Jenny's reach. "It's just recovered from significant burns and electrocution, and just by glancing at its face, I can tell it hasn't even fed in a while. It most likely doesn't have the strength to fight us, even if it wanted to."
"How can you be so sure?" Jenny snapped. "These things can get up and walk around, even if we shot them in the head. How do you know this one won't just ignore how bad it's been beaten up to claw your face off the first chance it gets?"
Joy rested one hand on the pod and the other on her hip. "Do you really want a confirmation that much?"
"Yes!"
She turned back to the medical pod. Placing both hands on the dome again, she leaned down and locked her eyes with Bill's.
"You won't hurt us, right?" she asked.
Bill wasn't so much weak at that point as he was stunned by her question. He could only stare with wide eyes at Joy and Jenny for the entire length of their argument, but now that he was being addressed directly, he had to force himself to respond. His answer came in the form of a brief but firm shake of the head.
"Promise?" she asked.
He nodded quickly.
"There."
Nurse Joy reached down to finish punching in a code. The Plexiglas top retracted into the base of the machine, and Joy turned to Jenny with a small smile.
"See? Nothing to worry about."
Jenny stood back. "You've just asked a serial killer to make a pinkie promise that it won't kill anyone, and you're assuming it's telling the truth. I hope you realize how dumb that sounds."
At that point, Joy ignored Jenny. Instead, she turned back to Bill and placed a gentle hand on his arm. She picked it up carefully and bent it at an angle before flexing each claw with her fingers.
"Don't worry about her," Joy told him. "Everyone's been on edge since your kind started appearing all over the region. Most of the ones we've seen … well, they've given us a reason to be afraid. Very afraid. You're the first ixodida we've encountered that hasn't tried to hurt anyone. Thank you." Then, after a pause too brief to allow Bill to respond, she added, "How does this feel? Does anything hurt?"
Bill shook his head. "It … no, it doesn't hurt. What do you mean by 'hasn't tried to hurt anyone'?"
Joy frowned. "I'm not sure how to explain it without offending you."
"She means you killed entire towns off," Jenny snapped.
Bill craned his neck to look at Jenny. Her hand was on the gun in the holster on her belt, and her dark brown eyes were narrowed on him dangerously.
"W-what?" he stammered.
"What? Like you don't know," Jenny snapped. "You killed entire cities! You and all your friends just go into towns and kill anything that moves. Kids, the elderly, people who don't own pokémon at all—you don't care! You killed off Fortree, and then you moved on to Mauville! And now you're infesting Route 113, and every day, all of us are too scared to go outside because who knows if and when you'll decide to just flood our town with your kind to finish us off?! In fact..." She drew her gun and held it in both hands, but she aimed it at the floor for the time being. "How do we know you're not a scout for them?"
"Stop that right this instant!" Joy yelled, whirling around to face Jenny. "This one has nothing to do with those things, and you know it!"
"You don't have any proof!" Jenny argued. "You're basing your entire assumption on the fact that it hasn't killed anyone yet! Who knows what it's going to do as soon as our backs are turned?!"
"If it wanted to do that, it would have before Thom knocked it out!" She turned towards Bill again, and in a softer voice, she asked, "Right?"
At that, Bill thought he had heard enough. Gingerly, he sat up, pressing his hands into the bed to support him. He didn't bother pretending to ignore Jenny's arms sweeping upwards to point her gun directly at his head. In fact, he glared at her.
"I didn't know about anything you said," he told her quietly, "because Nurse Joy is right. I'm not like any of the others you encountered. I'd only just arrived here when you found me."
"Exactly," Jenny said. "Because you came in from Route 113."
"No, because I came in from Cinnabar Island!" Bill heaved a breath before craning his neck again to show off his collar. One of his claws tapped the front panel, pointing directly at the symbol etched on its face. "Do you see this? This is the insignia of Polaris Institute, a research facility on Cinnabar Island. They're studying the ixodida right now. I was meant to be one of its researchers, but I was involved in a situation that ended with an ixodida parasite attaching itself to me."
Jenny's finger rested on the trigger. "That sounds a little farfetched. You took that plot from a science fiction movie, didn't you?"
Bill hunched his shoulders and stared at her in annoyance. "If you don't believe me, ask Raye."
"That's Rachel, right?" Nurse Joy asked, reaching a hand out to touch Bill's shoulder. "That's what you were calling her before you fainted. What does Rachel have to do with this? What did you mean when you said you were hers? Did she catch you?"
His expression softened a little as he glanced at Nurse Joy. "I told you. She's my sister."
Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny stopped to exchange glances. Then, gradually, they turned back to Bill.
"Your … your sister?" Joy asked.
"Yes," Bill replied. "I know it's difficult to believe."
"I-I guess I never really thought about it," Joy told him as she pulled her hand away and placed her fingers on her chin. "It makes sense. Of course you ixodida would have families of your own, wouldn't you? But … no one ever really talked about theirs. They … they don't usually stop to talk, and when they do, they don't seem human."
"Of course they don't," Jenny grumbled. "They're too busy killing us all."
"Maybe they don't remember their human lives," Joy responded as she threw a glance over her shoulder at Jenny. And then, slowly, she looked at Bill, as if to study him carefully. "But … if that's the case, then how can you remember?"
"I don't know," Bill sighed. "That was why I was invited to Polaris: to figure out a way to understand the ixodida. I don't know anything about how they think yet; I didn't even know that this could happen." He motioned to his body at that point. Then, he looked directly at Nurse Joy. "Listen, if you don't believe me—"
"I do," Joy replied quickly. "Even if some of us don't."
"Well, even so," Bill continued, "it would be useful to ask Raye. I don't think she recognized me when I met her in the kitchen, so..." He looked at his lap. When he spoke next, his voice was soft and slow and hesitant. "My name is Bill, but she calls me Nii-chan. It means 'older brother' in the Old Language. We were taught it when we were young because our mother … our mother was a kimono girl, and every few months, we would see her old troupe. Our father was a pokémon researcher, just like I am now. We have an older sister named Christa, who battles competitively. And-and Raye … the last time I spoke to her was for her tenth birthday. I wasn't there for it because of my job, but I know how excited she was about turning ten. She was going to start off with a squirtle. She wanted to be a pokémon coordinator. And I … I didn't think that this would happen." He lowered his gaze. "When the quarantine fell, I wasn't sure what to think. I thought that she had evacuated back to Johto. I-I didn't know that she was still here." He looked up. "If you can't get her to believe me, then tell her … tell her this exact word, okay? Gomen. That means I'm sorry."
At that point, Nurse Joy offered him a sympathetic look. Officer Jenny merely rolled her eyes and swung her gun to her side. Did he succeed? Did they believe him? Bill studied Joy's face carefully, waiting patiently for a response.
And finally, it came. Nurse Joy tore her eyes away from Bill.
"I'm sorry, but … that won't be possible," she said.
Bill's heart shuddered. He could feel his opportunity slipping away. What if they didn't believe him? It occurred to him only then that he didn't have a plan and that he wasn't going to come up with one. This was his last hope.
"What?" he squeaked.
"It's Rachel," Joy explained. "I mean … I believe you." She looked up at him then, giving him another sympathetic glance. "But Rachel hasn't spoken to almost anyone in town for months."
Instantly, Bill felt something inside him drop. "W-what? What do you mean 'she hasn't spoken to almost anyone'?"
Officer Jenny opened her mouth, but anticipating her reaction, Nurse Joy extended an arm to stop her.
"What I mean to say," she said—quietly, carefully, "is that Rachel suffered some kind of psychological trauma. After the region was quarantined, we began forming search parties to send into the wilderness and bring back as many trainers as we could find. We found Rachel six days later. She was delirious and feverish, and when we nursed her back to health, we found that she was too traumatized to interact with most people in town."
The bottom-out sensation Bill had felt quickly turned into a burning mixture of anger and panic. Without thinking, he reached out to grab Nurse Joy's arm. "What? What happened to her?"
"Do you need to have it spelled out?" Officer Jenny asked. "She was attacked by ixodida. Notice how we didn't say anything about finding anyone else with her? That's because they were all dead. We fished Rachel out of what was left of Lavaridge."
For a long while, Bill fell quiet. His grip on Joy's arm loosened as he let Jenny's words sink in. That couldn't be right. Raye had to be okay. He remembered the way she looked the last time he saw her. Sure, she was always a little shy, but she was always happy, always smiling. And around people she liked? She could chatter about anything. So it couldn't be real. It couldn't possibly be true that Raye stopped speaking.
Pulling his hand away, Bill shifted, preparing to push himself off the bed.
"I need to see her," he said.
Nurse Joy moved her hands to his shoulders and leaned in to push him back into the bed. Her analysis of his condition must have been right because although Bill tried his best to fight back, she succeeded in pushing him back to the bed and keeping him there. So instead of escaping to look for Raye, he merely squirmed uncomfortably on the mattress.
"No," he whimpered. "Please! I have to see her!"
"Not like that you aren't," Officer Jenny said. "Even if I was crazy enough to let you out of this room in the first place, you sure as hell are not going to see a little girl who was traumatized by freaks like you!"
"For once, I'm agreeing with Officer Jenny here," Nurse Joy replied. Then, realizing how that came across, she straightened and let her expression soften. "I'm sorry. I meant … you haven't fully recovered yet; you need to rest. And anyway, if you go to Rachel looking the way you are, you'll just remind her of whatever attacked Lavaridge. So please, stay here."
"She's my sister! I need to see her!" Bill tried to sit up again, only to be pushed back down by Nurse Joy.
"Please stop!" Joy said. "If you don't lie down and promise me that you'll stay here until you're well enough to walk, I'm going to have to administer sedatives. Please don't make me do that."
Bill relaxed under her touch, but it wasn't because he was succumbing to her threat. Instead, he looked directly into Nurse Joy's eyes and calmly responded, "Not all of me looks like an ixodida. She has to recognize my face. Let me cover up everything else, and I can see her without scaring her. Please."
Officer Jenny chortled and rolled her eyes. "Cover up? With what?"
"I don't know," Bill growled. "A lab coat and gloves, a sheet … anything! Just … please."
"No," Nurse Joy answered. "You're staying here and that's final!"
Bill sighed and turned his head away from her. Then, he closed his eyes and carefully went over everything Nurse Joy had told him about Raye. As he felt her hands slip away from him, something in her wording surfaced in his brain.
"Wait," he said. Slowly, he opened his eyes and looked at her again. "You said Raye doesn't interact with most people in town. Who does she talk to, then?"
Joy shrugged and shook her head. "Just Lanette. No one knows why; Lanette won't tell us."
"Lanette?" Bill took a breath. "She is here!"
The nurse raised her eyebrows. "Yes. Of course she's here. She's the one who practically runs our town."
"Lanette…"
Bill turned his head and placed his palms over his eyes. He could feel a smile breaking across his face, and he couldn't help but laugh. Of course. Of course everything would fall into place perfectly.
When he moved his hands to his forehead, he could see Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny glancing at one another again.
"What's so funny?" Jenny barked as she slowly moved her gun until its muzzle focused on Bill again.
He looked at her. "Let me speak with Lanette."
"You're kidding," Jenny said.
"Um." Joy placed a hand over her mouth and gave Bill a curious look. "Why on Earth would you want to see Lanette?"
Bill struggled to sit up again but only got as far as propping himself up on his elbows. "She's … she's an old friend. Tell her my name. She'll know who I am."
They exchanged another glance. This hesitation was a lengthier, however, and the way they looked—Joy worried and Jenny stone-faced—instilled a deeply uncomfortable feeling in Bill's core. Then, Jenny chuckled again and turned towards the door.
"Fine. If he wants to see Lanette, he can see Lanette," she said as she moved to leave the room. "I'd better report this anyway, considering you're dead-set on keeping him, Joy."
Joy stood up straight and turned towards her. "Don't tell her anything terrible! You can see he's harmless!"
Jenny didn't say a word as she passed through the doorway and into the lobby. She merely held up a hand and waved it as a half-hearted acknowledgement.
"What's wrong?" Bill asked quietly. "Lanette isn't hurt, is she?"
Joy shook her head again. "No. Nothing like that. It's just…"
Bill leaned towards her. "Nurse Joy, please. Raye is my sister, and Lanette is one of my closest friends. I need to know if something is terribly wrong here."
"There isn't anything wrong with Lanette," Joy replied.
Then, she sighed and locked eyes with Bill, and her expression couldn't have been sadder.
"Lanette is our lead hunter. She kills ixodida on sight."
—
At the edge of Fallarbor Town, a house stood by a river. Outside, the house looked like any other house. Door. Walls. Roof. Dark windows. Everything untouched by the chaos of the rest of the region. In fact, the only unkempt element was its garden, an overgrown mess of weeds and dried-up berry plants.
Inside was a different story. Boxes lined the walls and stood haphazardly in corners. Papers and books formed precarious stacks on top of every flat surface, and wires lay tangled in heaps under desks. In the far corner of the room, across from a staircase leading to a dusty and barely used upper floor, were a row of computers and racks of servers—all of which were unlit with disuse. Nestled between two computer towers was a telephone, the only object in the room that wasn't either buried or covered with dust. On its face, a red light blinked, and for a long while, it and the light streaming through the dusty windows were the only sources of light in the room.
Then, the door swung open, and a hand clapped the light switch on the nearest wall. With a click of the switch, the room flooded with light, and a young woman ambled inside, kicking the door closed with the heel of one of her boots.
She moved into the room, navigating the mess with ease and familiarity. One of her arms hung at her side, its fist gripping the end of a crowbar. The other hand reached up to toss her orange hair over her shoulder. Wearily, she headed towards the staircase, intending on taking a very long shower and heading to bed, but before she reached it, the blinking light caught her attention. She stopped at the foot of the stairs, one hand on the banister as she turned her head towards the phone. After a few moments, she sighed, moved to the desk, and shoved her crowbar on top of a computer monitor. Pressing the button to access her voicemail, she leaned against the desk and waited for its computerized voice.
"You have one new message. New message."
And then, as soon as the inbox's introduction cut off, the woman heard the last voice she ever wanted to hear. A voice she was familiar with. A voice that once made her entire body feel warm and safe—but now made her feel cold and dead.
"Lanette? It's Bill. If you get this, I'm at the Fallarbor Pokémon Center. I need your help. It's … it's urgent."
Her hands shook as the inbox's voice returned to feed her a list of options. She couldn't focus on it, however. All she could hear was Bill's voice, and all she could think about was a single question: Why was he there?
One of her fingers hovered over a button, ready to replay the message, when the phone rang. Stiffening, she seized the receiver and yanked it out of the carriage while her other hand jammed a finger onto the voicemail's stop button.
"What is it?" she barked.
"Lanette? It's Officer Jenny. I'm at the pokémon center. You'd better get down here."
She tilted her head into the receiver and picked up the crowbar. "Tell me. Is there a man there?"
"A man?"
"Yes. His name is Bill. Is he there?"
On the other end, Officer Jenny's voice grew a little softer and darker. "How did you know?"
Lanette sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, just above her glasses. "Gods. I have a message from him. I'll be there shortly. Whatever is going on there, keep him out of it. Understand?"
"Well … that's the thing," Jenny said slowly. "He is the situation. He says he's a friend of yours."
Lanette removed her hand. She didn't like where this was going, and because of that, she narrowed her eyes at the wall. "And?"
"And he's an ixodida."
In the split second that followed, Lanette slammed the receiver back into its carriage. Elegantly, she whirled around, her patchwork skirts swirling around her calves as she turned. Her hand gripped her crowbar tightly, and with that, she stormed towards the front door. All the while, one last message hissed between her clenched teeth.
"Goddammit."