Chapter Forty-Eight

Commissioner Mason took a long, greedy swallow of his coffee. Staring into the murky liquid, he debated adding a draft of vodka from the bottle in his inside coat pocket. He glanced at Peter, who sat to his left and stared hollow-eyed at the table, cradling an empty mug in his hands.

Across from him, Elder Bayron read the morning's newspaper. A Lucario sat at his sides. The Elder claimed that Jarem and Kolar had been sent back after last night's incident, but these looked no different to him.

"All things considered," Bayron said, "That could have gone far worse."

Peter's mug hit the table with a loud clank. In a low, ragged voice, he said, "I had that situation under control. If Jarem and Kolar hadn't butted in, Bruno would be back safe and sound."

The Elder shook his head. "I do not know for certain. I agree that they acted too hastily, but at the same time, I felt Bruno's aura. He was teetering over the edge before he was attacked. Now… I fear whatever containment field holds him is the only thing standing between this city and an apocalypse.

Gregory Mason took his mug and turned around. A pot of coffee sat on the small table behind him. With his back to the rest of the group, he slipped a shot of vodka into his mug before topping it off. The cocktail of alcohol and caffeine dulled the edge off the headache sawing at his synapses.

"Let's suppose Bruno's let loose out of the city. What exactly would happen?"

"I don't know." Bayron lowered the newspaper and grabbed a cup of tea. "It depends on what he wants, and how many living beings are around him. Likely, the city will be destroyed."

Mason grimaced and swigged more laced coffee. The half-empty bottle in his coat tugged at him. "Is there any way of stopping that from happening?" He gave a half-hearted chuckle and added, "I don't think the Sages would appreciate losing their constituents."

His eyes met Bayron's for a heartbeat. Inscrutable red eyes burrowed into his brain, scavenged the squishy tissue for the thoughts floating in his mind. With a jerk, he looked down at his coffee and found the mug empty. This time, he emptied the bottle of liquor before pouring in coffee.

"There are two recorded instances of a rogue Lucario. During both times, low population density allowed us to contain the threat and cover it up as a natural disaster. Here, with this much aura gathered in one spot, every Lucario in Temple standing together couldn't stop him." Bayron closed his eyes for a second and said, "Not even the stone would tip the scales."

Mason sipped his coffee. The thin, cloudy coffee had a gratifying kick. "So, we have to find and neutralize Bruno before Team Rocket thinks of using him as some kind of nuke. Wonderful. Any chance of finding him?"

"Bruno's trail disappears at a spot where we suspect Team Rocket reclaimed him." Elder Bayron added a dollop of honey to his tea and stirred it in with a spoon. "There's no way to find him from there. Our only option is to wait for him to reappear and neutralize him."

"You're not even going to try to help him?" Peter said. Despite the fire in his eyes, his face was as impassive and calm as carved marble.

The Elder shook his head. "I am truly sorry that it must come to this, but millions are lives – perhaps all life on this planet, hangs in the balance. We have tried helping others in the past, and every time, it ended in disaster. You know what must be done."

"It doesn't have to be this way. I can still help him. I know it. That was Bruno I was talking to, not some monster. Leave me and him alone for a few minutes, and I'll have him right as rain."

"We cannot take that risk."

"Peter, I have to agree with the Elder," Mason said. "I know you want to save your partner, but our obligation is to the people of this city. If one must die for the sake of everyone, even if it was me, or my wife, or anyone else, I'd pull the trigger myself." He held up his coffee mug and said, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

Peter glowered at him and sank into his chair. "This could have all been avoided."

The Elder turned back to the Commissioner. "Is there any chance the White Knights could help us? They already found him once, and they may be able to do it again."

Mason felt an eyebrow rise and lowered his face to hide it. "I don't think so. After last night, I'm willing to bet that the Rockets have beefed up their security." He perked up when he remembered a report an undercover agent gave him. "I just got a report this afternoon from an operative of mine. It seems that Colson, their technical Admin, is heading to a new facility with an escort of elite Grunts. With luck, he might lead us to where they're holding Bruno."

"Wouldn't it be better to capture this Admin?" Bayron asked. "I could delve his aura and find Bruno's location."

Mason shivered. He breathed through gritted teeth and said, "There's a risk that the Rockets would move Bruno after they learn that Colson was captured."

"On the other hand, his mission might have nothing to do with Bruno. If so, we can't let the chance to capture him slip by."

The office floor turned to brittle ice beneath his feet. Each pace forward felt as though it could drown him. He took a breath and steadied himself with another gulp of coffee. Sometimes, the only way to find the cracks in the ice is to step on them. "With Stonebough prison still under renovation, we don't have anywhere secure enough to keep him. If this delving takes less than four hours, we could make it work, but otherwise we'd have to track him and hope for the best."

The Elder tilted the newspaper towards him. "Perhaps the White Knights could assist us. They may have somewhere we can store the Admin while the delving is underway."

The snap of ice echoed across his mind, and the ice tilted beneath his feet. Time to backpedal.

"You have a point. With so many lives at stake, we can't afford to leave it to chance. I'll contact the White Knights right away and see what they can do. Is there anything else we need to discuss?"

The Elder handed a Lucario his cup, and it set it in a garbage can. "I would like to stay here," Bayron said. "I'll make sure Lucario are here at all times so we're ready the moment Bruno gets loose. With luck, we may confine the damage to a small area." He picked up the newspaper and bowed towards the Commissioner. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must rest. City life is quite taxing."

The Lucario opened the door and escorted him out. Peter started towards the door, but with a gesture from Mason, he sat back down.

"Is this about my behavior?" he asked. "If so, then I apologize and will control myself better in the future."

Gregory noted that Peter's right hand shook inside his coat pocket, where he kept the Sudoku book.

"You need to keep a tighter leash on your anger, but that's now what I need to discuss." He glanced at the door, got up, and quietly locked it. He tipped the mug to his mouth, but only a thin trickle passed his lips. He grabbed his bottle, shook it, and left it in his pocket.

"I'm worried that we can't trust the Lucario."

Peter flinched. Muscles in his face twitched as he ground his teeth, and he sat straight as a battering ram, but he stayed silent.

"I know what the Rockets want," he said. "Giovanni wants power, and his Grunts want him to have it. He won't get his power if he kills everyone. But what do the White Knights want? They claim to want equality, but they could just as easily want us all dead. Their leader is a failed experiment. It has every reason to hate us. I don't know if the Lucario are going along with it or are deceived by their propaganda, but I do know that they have more reason to side with the Knights than us." He cleared his throat. "They are Pokémon, after all."

Peter glared at him, but his voice was soft as down when he spoke. "Did you really just suggest that we could trust Team Rocket more than we could trust the Knights?"

Mason's grip tightened on his empty mug. He set it on the table, folded his hands, and said, "I trust the Rockets to serve their own interests. They get nothing by uprooting the government that profits them. The Pokémon, on the other hand, are treated as pets and tools. They would have a lot to gain by replacing us."

Peter shook his head. "You have no idea. They aren't pets and tools, they're partners. We live side by side, working together, supporting one another. There have always been intelligent Pokémon, and we've gotten along for hundreds of years. Why be afraid now?"

"They played nice with us because they knew they couldn't win. Now that there's more of them, they might decide they're sick of working with humans and want the world for themselves."

"Listen to yourself. Do you have any idea how paranoid you sound?"

Mason's head ached, and the alcohol made his tongue stiff. "Just tell me what the Lucario want. Then I'll start trusting them."

Peter stared at him and squeezed the Sudoku book. "They're purpose is to watch over the aura and keep it in balance. Wars and conflict cause ripples that can damage them. Is that what you're looking for?"

Mason studied his officer, but he knew that trying to ask anything more would be useless.

"Yes, thank you." He nodded and gave a faint smile. "That makes sense. Sorry for putting you through the wringer like that, it's been a stressful few days, with the White Knights showing up and using EMPs. I just needed a little reassurance."

Peter relaxed and smiled back. "I understand, sir. It's been a rough few days for me as well. Try to get some rest, and let's get ourselves an Admin."

With a chuckle, Mason dismissed Peter. Once the door was closed, Mason's smile vanished, and he sank back into his chair. He dissected the tidbit Peter gave him and liked none of the conclusions he reached. Cities were full of conflict. It happened anytime you crammed enough people together in a confined space. Combined with the fact that Lucario suffered in cities, due to the chaotic aura, it hinted at the unpalatable possibility that human genocide would appeal to them.

Tapping his empty bottle, he reached for a phone, called his contact in the White Knights. Once done, he left the building and wandered until he found a café in the busiest part of the city. Surrounded by the clamor of businessmen on calls and people ordering coffee, Mason made a call to Sage Gorm and asked if he had anything that could solve his Lucario problem.

Changelog

12/26/18 – minor edits