Chapter 9

"Why Weren't All the Targets Hit?"

Naturally, while we dedicated our lives to atoning for our actions as Team Rocket agents, the only thing that Giovanni was thinking of after the attacks of September 11th was why weren't all the targets hit. Sure he had struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but in his mind, it should have been more people sacrificed for the glory of Team Rocket, more of a blow struck in the heart of America, anything less than that was unacceptable.

"Look, Giovanni," said Steve Jordan, one of Giovanni's most trusted advisors from the days of the Pan Am 103 bombing. "Sure we didn't hit our main goal of five strikes, but that's still good."

"Not up to the standards that Osama and I had for this mission," he flounced, sitting in his chair and stroking his Persian. "3,000 lives lost, it should have been more than that."

"3,000 is plenty, sir."

"Something happened and I want to know what it is," Giovanni retorted. "Find out what it is!"

As Steven left to find information, Giovanni suddenly got himself a thought that perhaps there was treason and insubordination involved into why his ultimate goal fell short. Reaching for his phone, he telephoned one of Team Rocket's cells in Boston.

"It's Giovanni," he said into the other line. "I want answers. The answers of why we only hit 3 of our targets. Our teams in Boston and Washington succeeded, but what about the flights leaving Newark and New York/JFK?"

Giovanni waited and listened to what his cell member had to say…then, he heard something that was distressing to him.

"Sir," replied the cell member. "There are reports that our team assigned to hit the US Capitol had been attacked."

"How?" Giovanni cried, slamming his fist down in anger. "How were they attacked?"

"They are saying that the hostages revolted against them, causing the plane to crash in Western Pennsylvania."

"What about the plane that was supposed to hit the White House?" Giovanni demanded.

"It never even got airborne sir," said the cell member. "The Airspace was shut down before it could take off."

When it came to the fifth plane, Giovanni knew that there was treason and insubordination.

"It was those fools," he guessed, referring to us. "Those three blundering fools. They abandoned their post! I shall have their heads for this!"

Without acknowledging the other line, Giovanni slammed the receiver down before picking it back up to make a call to New York. After a few moments, the call was answered.

"Cassidy, Butch," he said icily. "What happened?"

Calling from a secure hideout not far from Kennedy Airport, Butch and Cassidy revealed what we had done.

"A panic attack from Musashi?" he asked flatly. "A panic attack and they back out of Team Rocket's greatest triumph?"

All Giovanni could do was rub his face with his fingers.

"Where are they?"

"I don't know, boss, they disappeared," remarked the gravelly voice of Butch. "So we were going to go at it alone."

"You idiot, you couldn't seize control by yourselves!" Giovanni growled. "It was supposed to be a four person operation, not a two person operation!"

"I always said that Jessie and James are embarrassing," he heard Cassidy on the other line. "They showed it today."

Giovanni wanted to bring Cassidy and Butch back, but he couldn't bring himself to do so on account that all flights in the United Stares were grounded until further notice.

"Well, I want you to find them over the next few days and order them to return to base immediately. I have a few choice words for them, Cassidy and Biff."

"It's Butch, sir."

"Whatever!" he snarled and slammed the phone back down. Messing up one of his top agents' names was the least of Giovanni's worries. He had us as insubordinate agents to find and punish. At the same time, details of what happened to the plane assigned to hit the US Capitol began to emerge.

"Giovanni?" asked Steven as he walked back into Giovanni's office. "The plane that was supposed to hit the Capitol…"

"I am aware of that, Steven," sighed Giovanni. "There was a rebellion on the plane. I want to find out what happened, so if there are any spies in the area of the crash…"

"One of our spies is stationed in Pittsburgh, sir."

Sighing, Giovanni turned on the radio and listened to the reports that a plane had gone down 80 miles Southeast of Pittsburgh.

"Good, send him there as soon as possible. I want the truth."

"Yes, Giovanni."

Grunting, Giovanni went back to stroking Persian's head while still wondering why two of his targets were not hit. All of his attention would then shift away from Flight 23 to Flight 93.

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