CHAPTER 9: ENCROACHING DARKNESS
Late summer was a time ride with battering winds and rain, which arose from the azure firmament without warning, but for a sickening drop in temperature. The bus that both toured and traveled around Mt. Quena region departed from the station just before a trio of children stumbled onto the road, and proceeded to climb the muddy rise that snaked within the mountainous region. The wheels slid slightly in the wet dirt, and the driver gritted her teeth as she tries to see through the water splashing against the window. As long as she could see the road, they'd be fine. She'd driven in worse weather than this!
Yet then the wind picked up, whirling the vehicle about into the air, out of her control…with her passengers she screamed, prayed, thinking that they should have never left the station, that they were going to die on this ridge!
And then the spinning stopped, the maelstrom died down, and they landed gently on the road, engine still running, the blue light that had caught them fading….
From the depths of Mt. Quena, Mewtwo, Pikatwo, and Meowthtwo gazed at the security feed, watching as the bus continued on its way. They did not question why Mewtwo had saved the humans. Briar stood by the entryway, and then joined them, standing at the alpha's side, resting her hand against his arm. Her stomach was round as a gibbous moon, eight months of pregnancy making walking a chore, her steps a slow waddle. She thanked him softly, for though she had distanced herself from her own kind, that didn't mean she didn't care for them. Her partner understood this...and for their security, it was best that the bus ride remained a safe one. They could not be discovered here…especially not Briar. He turned himself fully to her, placing his paws against her swollen abdomen…the child stirred under his fingers, kicking out at its father's touch. Its mother winced slightly, but smiled at the sensation. Only a few more weeks, and that flailing bundle inside of her would be in her arms. The concept both frightened and excited her, as ambivalent as the love she shared with the alpha.
"So how are you today, Briar?"
Pikatwo and Meowthtwo silently crept out of the chamber, leaving their leader and his partner alone. The pair in question did not notice.
Briar placed her hands over his, murmuring, "We're fine—the little one rarely rests anymore. It seems anxious to be born and see the world."
Her partner smiled. "I see."
He stood, drawing her against him and nuzzled her hair softly, his nostrils filling with the aromas of soap, her own flesh, and his fragrance of his fur entrapped in her own soft locks. He closed his eyes, feeling at peace as he held her...but in the depths of his soul, he worried. He worried at the increasing military presence to the south, that activities of the human at the base enshrouded in secrecy. He worries about the tour of this month and whether they might at least be discovered by the travelers. He worried about the growing disquiet among his own people, who seemed of the verge of disbanding. Yet most of all he worried for the woman in his arms, who within the month would go into childbirth. Due to the nature of their child, they could not go to any health facility to ensure a safe delivery, and while he knew the procedures of a home birth, the fear lingered in his mind that something would go wrong, and Briar, their child, or perhaps both of them would be lost to him. And that notion frightened him deeply—having been blessed with companionship, with the miracle of the new life they had made, after years of being without those joys, he feared the solitude he would gain if he lost them. During the past several months, he had known a happiness he had only yearned for an envied in others…what he share with her was something he treasured, and the thought of its end, of not laying with her at night or speaking with her or beholding the little one they had formed together…it chilled him, and as he shivered Briar held him a little tighter, asking him what troubled him.
He wrapped an arm about her wait and steered them from the room, the screen flickering to black behind them. As they walked from the chamber, he confided in her some of his concerns, at which she nodded and expressed her own thoughts on the matter. They were at the height of storm season—perhaps the increased military presence was to aid the inhabitants of the area in case of a disaster? It would not be the first time they flocked here at the request of Johto officials. Concerning the tourist, if they had not already discovered them, they certainly would not now, when blinded by wind and rain, and as for the social disquiet here, it would resolve itself in time. The clone community was close enough that any serious issues from within would be solved through verbal debate rather than violence. Yet when his worries shifted to her, she stopped and squeezed his par, reassuring him that she would be fine. She was strong and healthy, and their prenatal tests had indicated no abnormalities to be concerned with. She smiled, murmuring that perhaps they should travel to the springs to relax. She, of course, could not full savor them—the heat would be bad for the baby—but she should ensure that he would easily enough.
This thought did lighten his mood considerably, but he shook his head. "I must keep an eye on the outsiders during the night—if they draw too close, they must be driven away, and if they meet disaster, they will draw others into the area. Both options are unacceptable; hence, I will have to monitor them. You, however, should rest. If I can, I will join you."
She sighed. "You're becoming an insomniac—if you keep this up, you'll be entirely nocturnal and I'll see you at evening and dawn."
He gave her a grim look. "Perhaps that would be more appropriate for my people and I. After all, the moonlight that we would thrive within is but a reflection of the true light of the sun, just as we clones are mere reflections of the beings we were derived from. Perhaps a nocturnal lifestyle would befit us better."
She squeezed his paw tighter, leaning her head to his shoulder. "…You once told me that the circumstances of my birth don't make me any less valuable or worthy of life as another, and agreed that Rhyhorntwo and Nidoqueentwo's children are fortunate to be born as they are, regardless of their heritage. Do you really believe that simply because you and the others were made rather than born means you're inferior to natural pokémon—that you should be denied what they enjoy, such as the sunlight?"
His walking slowly as he considered that. On one hand his mind, always uncertain of his worth since he had been born from unnatural means, clung to a sort of melodramatic insecurity and low self-esteem. Such was easier for him to grasp. Yet his rational side told him that she was correct—he and his fellows were worth just as much as their counterparts, and as such should not be denied the wonders of life, nor did they deserve to be shinned from society because of the differences of their origins. Yes, they were different, and because there could no illusions about their being formed by God and woven into its divine plan, a purpose to their existence seemed improbably. Yet perhaps they were also freer because of it, for in the end, how they would live would be of their own choosing….
He sighed. "No—we are all alive, and that is what matters. I apologize for sounding…dour. My concerns as of late has put me in a rather dismal mood."
"I understand. Yet I am more concerned about the thought that led to your musing. Is something bothering you? Something more than the usual troubles of leadership?"
He was quiet for a while, and as they entered into the spring meadow of the island, he gazed over the other clones with thoughtful eyes, which rested on the clone children in particular. Finally, he murmured, "Given what we are, where in this world are we meant to reside? Many would say in laboratories, or perhaps in breeding centers or battling arenas, but as we are free of human design…I do not know. This isolated place, devoid of other occupants where we originally arrived, seemed ideal. Yet I watch the wild pokémon going about their daily lives, gathering food, courting, migrating, rearing their young, all in a sort of natural design which covers every inch of the world…and I wonder if there can be a place for us when we were never meant to exist in their first place, at least in God's eyes."
"How do you know you weren't intended by it?"
He blinked, turning towards her and staring at her in surprise. "What do you mean?"
She looked out over the spring; a small smile etched on her face. "Let us suppose everyone born has a purpose in God's divine plan—some of us will be doctors, teachers, drifters, criminals, artists, scientists, each playing our part towards some undiscernible end game. Now supposedly we are given free will and may chose what path we take—but I doubt, if god has a plan, he would allow for all people to be wild cards or stray pieces in the game. So maybe we merely pick and fill roles he wants someone to take. Now if that is so, then he intended someone to take up the task as geneticist—and then he allowed them to find success. If that was against its will, wouldn't you have perished with the others?"
"Perhaps God has weakened—perhaps his true children now take up his mantle. Perhaps he lost control long ago, and that is why he hides in his heaven, frightened of what he made."
She laughed. "I'd like to think that an almighty being is more powerful and wise than that. No, I think you and the others were meant to exist and belong, and that it has sent you hints all along the way, saying just that."
"Such as?"
She contemplated that, then said, "You survived—that is one important point. I see no reason why humans could overcome its will if it specifically didn't intend for something to occur. You faced evil and overcame it rather than be crushed, and built yourself a home, and no forced conquered you. Then there were the trainers who came to your island—you may have requested them, but you had no control over which would come. You could not have known that among them was a child who displayed all of the virtues that God advocates: love, acceptance, self-sacrifice. He showed you a truth—that you were all worth of life. God could have merely sent trainers strong enough to defeat you, or a messenger far stronger than Mew. He could have descended himself if he wanted to ensure your defeat. Instead he provided a blessing: instead of bloodshed he accepted you through that boy. If he thought you and your kind monstrous, why not destroy you all? Surely he was capable of that."
As Mewtwo considered that she went on. "And then you found this place, devoid of previous occupants, pristine and far from humans—an Eden for you to make your lives. Another gifts. Then Rhyhorntwo and Nidoqueentwo conceived, and new life is nearly always considered a blessing from god. Given that they were conceived in love, I daresay its indicative of Its consent. Then there's me—someone who, like you all, was made through unsavory means. By your logic, I am meant to exist because I was born—but that implies that God intended for my mother to be attacked the way she was. If It wanted that, I doubt I could stand to worship It or place my faith in It. But I do, and as such, God ensured that I had a place in the world, first with my mother and Jenn, and now here, among all of you. Perhaps It means the same thing for you all, and sent me here to ensure you realize that—because I've shared your doubt, your uncertainties, your feelings of inadequacies, your feelings of worthlessness, and so can show you they're not any different than from what some of us naturally born being experience. We are all the same, and we all, eventually, can find somewhere to belong and a purpose to pursue. I did—and you can, and you have."
And she took his paw, facing him, and smiled a bit more widely. "And besides, I know It means for you to have just as much as other beings in this world."
His eyes seemed pained, both from the staggering realization that she was perhaps correct, and from his yearning to believe what she said was true. He asked her how she knew, and she responded by placing his paws over her rounded belly.
"I know because we made a miracle together—you, a pokémon clone, and me, a natural-born human. A child between us should be impossible for so many reasons, and yet, it's here, growing inside of me, stirring and kicking and living. Even if you were beyond Its will, I am not…and I conceived and carried your son or daughter, against all odds. How can that not be God's will, it truly exists? And if It doesn't, then these doubts don't matter because no one will know the difference and hold it against us unless we tell them. No one would peg me as a product of rape by just looking at me, and likewise no one can tell that you're all clones just be appearances. Maybe we're a little different, but different doesn't have to be bad, and as I said before, our similarities outweigh those differences significantly."
"You and the others belong here just as much as I do, or anyone else for that matter…and as such, you have the exact same rights."
With that, she kissed him on the mouth and drew back, laughing somewhat at his stunned expression, and joked, "So please don't force me to become some sort of vampire just to spend time with you. I rather like being awake during the day, thank you very much."
His mouth quirked in a hint of a smile. "I will see what I can do."
Her eyes glimmered. "Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, the baby has decided that my bladder is a squeeze-toy. See you in a little while."
Yet as she began to walk away, the alpha touched her arm and kissed her forehead softly. "Thank you. I appreciate what you said."
Save for her aching bladder, contentment suffused her at that. "Of course. I meant every word. Now please, I need to go."
Giving her an amused look, he waved her away, turning to gaze back out at the spring. Eventually he exited the caverns altogether and went out to the cliff where he could overlook the lake and the full moon rising from the east. From the west, a migrating flock of butterfree traveled into the directs where they would lay their eggs—their wings flapped shimmering powders into the air, making the dark sky sparkles with more than just the stars. After a time, Meowthtwo and Pikatwo joined him, informing them that everyone had settled in for the night for the most part, including Briar. Vulpixtwo was accompanying her presently, and had made it clear she expected Mewtwo to arrive at his mate's side within the hour, as if he was not already planning that very thing.
As the last of the flock settled into the forest, he murmured, "Perhaps she is right…perhaps we do belong and are meant to live as we deem fit. But there are those in this world who disagree…and it is those people we must avoid at all costs. We must remain watchful, especially now as we begin to truly savor being alive—otherwise, we may be destroyed by others who deem us unworthy of the gift."
The others agreed, and then headed inside to the warmth of their dens. Mewtwo slowly made his way into the caverns and to his chambers, spying Vulpixtwo and Briar resting in the fabrics of his nest. Lifting her head at his approach and soon vacating the fabrics, the young clone said goodnight and left for her own den for the night. The alpha returned the farewell and slid down beside his partner, slowly, quietly, not wish to disturb her as she slept soundly. Nonetheless, she stirred as he embraced her, and asked if she'd missed anything. He told her about the butterfree and held her as a storm burst blew through the night, and soon drifted into a light doze….
In the calm after the winds died down, they did not realize that one, then two of the people who Mewtwo had warned his companions about, were watching them resting, and exchanged much interested speculation at what they saw. Nor did they realize that their haven had been invaded until the balloon crashed outside, bringing with it their first of the unwelcome, yet familiar faces. Yet once they did, they realized what it signaled: the calm, their peace, like the storms preceding them, has broken in the dusk.