Transmission 5 - 03-14-2146 2021
I swear to god if he doesn't stay out of my business!
I'm not going to tell him. I CAN'T tell him. Marhal won't stop asking about what I'm doing for work and I keep telling him that I code and that's all he needs to know. But he just. Keeps. DIGGING! Ugh!
The number one thing about what I do is that I have to stay anonymous. So, I can't tell him. I'm already doing too much by telling you, and you're not even a real person!
I was getting him to shut up by putting a lil' charm on him every time he asked, but that's not even working now. He actually declined sex the other night because he said was "concerned." Right. Whatever.
I get that you're supposed to trust your partner and... I-I do, but... that's a two-way street. I need him to trust me.
...
And I need to make more money. *exhaling sigh* Bye.
Trev and Kofi stumbled into a dark alley, the coolness of the night air striking them like an invisible gust. Trev spun around just in time to see the rectangular maw in reality shut behind them. And then there was silence, save for the industrial sounds of the urban landscape.
No light. No door. And no more spectral trees with sunken eyes and deadened scowls. He was back in Blue Light City. However, with a quick glance, he realized he did not know exactly where he was in Blue Light City.
Trev leaned against a nearby side street railing, mind reeling as he tried to wrap his head around what he'd just experienced. He spoke to his mother. Her voice might have come from a spectral Pokémon he'd never seen before, but it was her. He was sure of it.
He shut his eyes tight, and another pair of tears squeezed from them. Kofi hopped towards him, chirping a question.
Trev's eyes found the bird's and he forced a sad smile. "Yeah… I'm good, bruh."
Kofi made a low, crooning sound as he nuzzled his head against Trev's cheek. After a moment, both of them composed themselves. They were alone on Ground Zero, late at night. They couldn't afford to sulk.
All around was the ubiquitous hum of air recyclers. Towers loomed above in the night, stretching like infinite Babylons towards the heavens. At eye level, he could see a few storefronts sporting holographic ads for everything from food to an "extra sensual good time."
But here there was far less of anything in the way of a structured society. In the lower dredges of the city, there was far less conventional advertising. Bartering was the more lucrative endeavor here— and for that, you ought to know who you were bartering with or you best not do it at all.
Moving down the street, he passed a couple of motorists driving wheeled vehicles. The above world would sniff at anything that didn't hover, but down here, a powered vehicle of any sort was a rare luxury. The rest of his passersby were on foot, and rare besides.
One was trying to sell him something he couldn't parse. Another muttered incoherent words as they lumbered along on aimless, bared feet. On his shoulder, Kofi kept his head low and didn't make a peep. He too understood that this was not a part of town unfamiliars should be caught in alone.
Trash littered the streets at every turn, and seeing it idly made him think back to the way he'd so casually thrown things over his balcony without a second thought. He winced at that. Life had been tough for him, but everything rolled downhill. He'd been ignorantly adding to an already appalling problem. Perspective through experience was eye-opening.
Trev wondered where Iono had gotten to. The Mismagius' Trick Room seemed to be some dark dimension meant to give him an advantage in battle or trap a foe for... how long? Trev didn't know. But somehow he'd escaped as Iono had intended.
Maybe it was the Mismagius itself that had shown them the way. But now they were alone and deep in the city in an unknown location on its lowest level. By no standards was that safe. They'd left the fire to step into the frying pan, so to speak.
Trev decided he and Kofi's best option was to find a lift. There were stations that held elevators that could take them up so many levels depending on the location. It would cost, but he had the gi to get to one of the higher levels. If he could make it to at least level 10 it was possible that they could find some conventional transportation, like a train or a taxi. Neither of those options operated this low and that would be the only way to get back home.
As he moved on, hood pulled up overhead, hands stuffed deep into his pockets, he heard a skittering sound come from his right. He glanced in that direction but didn't stop moving. When he heard it again, he had half a mind to break into an all-out sprint, but instead, he slowed and kept his eyes fixed on the alley the noise seemed to be coming from.
The skittering sounded again and he'd nearly shouted for Kofi to prep for an attack before he saw a Sandshrew come skidding out of the alley on all fours. That was... not the typical Pokémon one expected to see in a place like this, especially as well-groomed as it looked.
Its eyes were frantic, and the thin fur on its golden armor hide stood up, but it paused there staring at them for several moments. Then, it began motioning with no small amount of urgency toward the alley. Trev blanched. "Oh, hell nah, lil guy. I ain't fallin' for that," he said as turned to walk off.
The Sandshrew chattered in protest but Trev didn't speak its language. "Nah, man. I got somewhere to—"
Suddenly, Kofi cawed in response to the amber Pokemon and leaped off Trev's shoulder to fly after the Sandshrew with matching urgency.
"Wait Kofi you can't—!" But it was too late. The Sandshrew had dashed into the alley, the Corvisquire hot on its heels.
Growling his dissent, Trevor took off after them.
Trev had heard how the alleys of ground zero could be like a labyrinth- the walls of the close-built buildings creating a dark, steel jungle— but this was the first time he was seeing it with his own eyes. The walls here were tight, with maybe room for four people to walk shoulder to shoulder in some areas, with scarcely more space in others.
Looking up, he could hardly see the blue lights from the overhead drones or other holographic ads that illuminated the city. Down here there was only the dull, dim glow of nocturnal LEDs— self-run light sources that didn't need external power, but only gave off minimal illumination as a result. He felt at any moment something would come out of the shadows and grab him.
As they ran, they passed by large white and crimson spheres rolling on the ground, angry electricity crackling around them, seeming to form eyes. Everyone knew to steer clear of Voltorbs. They were quick-tempered and prone to explode with little provocation. Above, they occasionally startled the eyeless creatures with webbed wings and matted fur from their slumber at various corners— Zubats that had been enjoying the darkness and solitude.
After he was sure he'd lost his way, the Sandshrew stopped, as did Kofi. The cobalt bird landed next to the golden cat-eared armadillo. Trevor slowed to a walk, catching his breath as he approached to see what the Pokémon were hovering over. "After all that running I swear to God this better be—"
He was cut short when he saw it. Then he covered his mouth. "Oh shit..." he wanted to believe that he wasn't seeing what he thought he was seeing, but there was no question.
Lying there on the ground next to a maintenance door was a cold, lifeless body.
"Shitshitshitshitshit-" Trev's fingers clawed at his hair. His first mind was to turn on his heels and run back the way they came as fast as he could. After a moment of stunned silence, he thought better of it. Glancing around, he saw there was no one in the alley. The air here smelt like old burnt oil and ash. He approached the body warily and then crouched over it next to the two, smaller investigating Pokémon.
Once closer, he could see it was a man— no— a teenager. He wore a yellow beanie with a matching jacket. Blood pooled beneath him, staining his clothes. It was fresh— still wet. Hesitantly, Trev pressed two fingers to the boy's neck. No pulse. He held his hand in front of the boy's nose. No breath either. The Sandshrew looked up at Trev, with hopeful eyes. But Trev could only shake his head solemnly. "He's gone, man. I'm sorry."
The Sandshrew bowed its head and let out a low, woeful moan.
Looking at the Teenager again, the way he was dressed, Trev could tell there was no way he was from down here. "This dude was your trainer, wasn't he?" Trev asked, apologetically.
The Sandshrew hummed low in confirmation, eyes downcast and somber.
"Damn, I..." he reached over hesitantly before finally placing a hand on the Sandshrew's head, scratching behind his head in a comforting gesture. "...I'm sorry." Trev found himself conflicted about what to do. Did he report this to the authorities? Would the authorities even come down here?
He considered turning him over for a better look at his face. Maybe if he took pictures or searched him for identification, he could report his name and the location of his body after he got back topside. Or... maybe that would be too suspicious. He looked at his phone. No service this deep in the alleys. He'd have to walk back out if he wanted to make a call.
It was then that Trev glanced up and saw a reflection in the air- a fleeting mist that hardly looked like it was there. He might have waved it off as nothing if it wasn't for the white flame that danced from the wick atop its head.
Vaguely, he recalled a folktale that stated that when people died before their time the ghostly Pokémon called Litwick would phase partially into reality and mourn over the body before fading away again. Before he had a moment to truly capture the image of the elusive being in his mind's eye, he heard a voice.
"Jojo was a good kid."
It came from behind Trev, giving him a damn good start. Kofi squawked and plumed his feathers angrily as he jumped in front of Trev, poised for combat. Of course, it was inconceivable what a Corvisquire may be able to do to a Skarmory. And that's what stood across from them with a man with skin even darker than Trev's who looked about 15 or so years his senior, standing in front of it. Trev couldn't conceive of how he hadn't heard them approach. He rose slowly from his crouch "Hey man—"
"...but... he served his purpose... dour as that purpose was." The man continued on as if Trev hadn't said a word. "All that wasted potential." The Skarmory behind him remained so still Trev had trouble telling if it was a living being or an extremely lifelike imitation of the oversized armored avian Pokémon.
The Sandshrew moved forward to stand next to Kofi, as if their dual defense would do anything to the Skamory should it decide to attack. "Look," Trev started. "We can bounce and it'll be like we ain't see nothing... cool?"
Situations like this were precisely why people up top knew not to come down to Ground Zero. Crime ran through these streets like water. This was his first time being at the bottom in years, and already he was staring down a cold-blooded killer.
The man waved an apathetic cybernetic hand. "Relax, my dude. Chill. Take a seat." This was a tall man, well-dressed and uncomfortably relaxed in the presence of a dead body. He wore a pair of rounded shades with blood moon-colored lenses and from what could be seen, both of his arms appeared to be either fully robotic or clad in cybernetic gauntlets. Trev couldn't tell.
Trev was anything but relaxed at that moment. He said nothing, nor did he budge.
The man sighed and clasped his hands together. "Aight, one thing you need to learn about me in a quick hurry..."
Something moved behind Trev, making him and the two smaller Pokémon in front of him tense.
"...Is that I don't like to have to repeat myself."
Trev whirled to find that a lithe Liepard was standing behind him, scythe-like tail primed to strike. He didn't budge, because somehow, he knew without a shadow of a doubt that that violet-coated feline could cut all of them in half before he even moved an inch.
"Now," the mysterious, disturbingly calm man said, "I asked you to take a seat."
Trev looked around and found that the only conceivable spot where he could sit was on the short nearby set of stairs leading to the top of a docking ramp. Kofi nor the Sandshrew moved, neither taking their eyes off the man. Trev splayed his hands as he did as commanded and sat on steps. "Aight I'm sitting. Now what... you kill me?"
The man chuckled, deep and hearty. "You think I should?"
Kofi made a sound in his throat that was a vague cross between a groan and a growl. Trev shook his head. "I really don't need these mind games right now. Not after the shit I been through tonight. If you not gonna kill me, then what do you want?"
"Damn, you high lifers are hella skittish. I guess I should start by introducing myself," the man said. "First name's Godlove, last name Benjamin. I prefer it when people say it all together."
The Liepard padded over to Godlove, its shrewd, sharp eyes never leaving Trev.
"I'm a man of ambition— opportunity. You're an opportunity, Black."
Trev bristled, a chill running down his spine. This guy knew who he was too.
"Oh, don't give me that look," Godlove said. "You're not a man of the shadows anymore, Trevor Black."
Trev cursed under his breath.
"You know what I was thinking when I read that article? I thought 'Damn, I know he's pissed about this.' I was right, wasn't I? About you being pissed?"
Trev didn't respond.
"News travels fast, Black. I never thought I'd run into you like this though. This is like an early birthday gift." Godlove said with a little chuckle.
"I didn't want that info out. I didn't even want to be down here. I'm just a regular dude trying to live my regular life," Trev said, a tremble beneath his voice.
Godlove pocketed his hands. "Yeah, I feel you. Shit sucks, don't it? Thing is, you ain't a regular dude. You know shit about people the rest of the world would gasp about. S'why you're too good of an opportunity to let slip by. You can understand that, right?"
Trev shook his head. "It's not what you think."
Godlove grinned, revealing a collection of silver and gold teeth among the white "I think it's exactly what I think." He let that linger for a moment before continuing. "Listen, right now you're a little scared. I get that. You find a dead body, a guy with a big ass metal bird, and you figure it's over, right? Thing is, that fear is keeping you from thinking with an open mind— keeping you from seeing the possibilities that's 'bout to open up for you."
Trev held up a hand. "Hold up. What do you mean by... possibilities?"
"C'mon. I know you ain't so dense that you don't see where we're going with this."
Trev just stared at the man.
"I want you to work for me, brotha."
Trev stared at him for a long hard while. Kofi and the Sandshrew, who'd never let their guard or grimaces down, had backed up to stand between him and the Liepard, who licked her sharp fangs as if she was just waiting for permission to strike. Trev's eyes then fell back to the body of the boy just a few feet away, before they found Godlove again. "You're a murderer."
Godlove shrugged. "What does that have to do with our arrangement?"
"Well, excuse me if I might take some small moral issue with that." The fact that they were having a full conversation over a dead body without the killer showing so much as a shred of concern about authorities or anyone else showing up to confront him, spoke volumes of the difference between Ground Zero and life above.
Godlove scoffed. "Morals. Got a couple of those, myself. But one of the differences between those that become great and those that remain stagnant is how they prioritize certain things. Most people put concepts like morals and emotions above everything else, which usually leads to... irrational decisions.
"Think about it. How many times do we decide not to do something that would better us just because of the moral implications? How much potential is wasted— business opportunities passed up because we chose to consider how it would make someone feel despite it being the obvious, best choice for the situation?
"You might call that line of thinking heartless... But me? I call it common sense. You gotta save yourself before you save the world, Black. And for you? In your little predicament? That ain't just a metaphor, you feel me?"
Trev was silent for several moments, clenching his jaw in contemplation. This was why he told Raifort he wouldn't take this assignment unless he was anonymous. This was why he didn't take these kinds of jobs at all. He was in a worst-case scenario... but he wasn't dead yet.
He glanced at the body, then the Liepard before he looked back to Godlove and nodded. "Yeah, I feel you. So, what do you need me to do?"