The New Normal – 12-16 – Interlude – Proton
He was at the top of the Galactic Company building, having been invited in by Cyrus to aid in the disposal of everything within the Galactic Building, wiping the state completely clean as they prepared to start a new stage of their plans.
As he stood so high up, the view below him was everything he could have ever wanted if he could have the wealth that Cyrus had.
Strangely enough, even though he had imagined himself in this position many times in his dreams, he felt no joy or satisfaction now that he was actually here. Not only that, but a job that involved the wanton destruction of property – with no attached consequences – would usually satisfy his craving for violence, but he couldn't find it in him to enjoy it today.
No, his mind instead was filled with difficult thoughts.
Recently, Team Galactic had undergone some major changes, and not all for the better. His old bosses, the two bickering idiots that were Archie and Maxie, were no longer his 'boss'. Instead, they were relegated to team leaders and partial researchers, but technically were similar in status to Proton now. It was about time, as 'their' men had long since changed loyalties to Cyrus, all except for those weirdly loyal subordinates that they had.
Maxie still had that fat lard and the creepy girl, while Archie still had Matt, but that was it. It was clear to Proton that Cyrus was finally cleaning house, formally consolidating all of the power under himself.
And considering the plans that Cyrus had run through with them the day before, he could see the writing on the wall. Archie and Maxie had become disposable – and the fanatical fools were too blind to see it. The plan would demand sacrifices, and the fools were being manipulated to take the fall.
Unfortunately, he feared that he was in the same position.
Because make no mistake, there will be sacrifices. Cyrus had caught wind of the Regional Union, and he understood the implications of what its formation would do to their plans, which would make an already dangerous task even more so. The risk of capture from their plans was absurdly high, and there was no way that the Sinnoh League would not try to reclaim their pound of flesh if they were caught.
The League would surely throw them behind bars for life.
It was ironic that the one time that his boss decided to stop being a coward and decide to act, as he had previously pressured him to do, now he was the one starting to get second thoughts about everything.
Yet it wasn't all fear. The plan might be dangerous, but the fact that he was actually a part of a mission involving real Legendaries was far too good to pass up. And unlike most plans that involved Legendaries, he believed that their plans were actually feasible. He believed that those egghead scientists had actually spent all of that money on something that would truly allow them to create the world of their desires.
Not only that, but he knew rationally that Cyrus couldn't sacrifice them all yet, as his boss would undoubtedly still need the manpower to ensure the successful completion of the later stages of the plan.
He just had to fulfil his role, stick by Cyrus' side, and make sure that others take the fall in his place.
However, while he was busy going through his own thoughts, staring out of the window of Cyrus' office, the man himself approached him.
"You seem troubled." His boss said to him, turning his soulless eyes onto him in a façade of concern, "What ails you? Are you doubting the plan? You could have brought up your concerns during yesterday's meeting if that was the case."
He was, but he couldn't admit that in front of this monster. Not anymore, it was too late now. He couldn't appear to be doubtful now, not when he needed to rely on Cyrus' goodwill.
"…Nothing's wrong, it's just that the enormity of what we're about to do is finally settling in." He lied.
"I understand. You must be concerned about the risks that we're taking." Cyrus nodded understandingly, "Do not worry. Even when Galactic Company burns down to the ground, we will still have bases to hide in. Only myself and my most trusted subordinates know where they are, so even if certain members are captured, the bases will not be exposed. And we have sufficient resources stockpiled to see us through to the end."
"Or are you concerned about the sacrifices that we will need to make for our plan to succeed?" Cyrus continued, "Unfortunately, sacrifices must be made for the greater good – so that we may rightfully earn the utopia that we seek to create. Challenges like these are inevitable, but we must have the willpower to conquer and surpass them. For that is what makes you worthy of joining our utopia."
Cyrus poked him softly in the heart, "For all your crudeness, Proton, I know that you have the potential to earn your place in paradise. And you will be there to join me; I would never abandon those that have helped create the world I seek. You have my word on that – my deepest and most sincere promise – that you will join me in our shared victory. You and our allies shall be standing side-by-side as we wield the power of a Legendary, and we will shape a new world together."
He could feel the passion in Cyrus' words, and that was the difficult thing with Cyrus. Proton knew that he was intelligent and observant enough to read and understand other people's intentions. But even though his gut was screaming at him that the man standing in front of him was nothing more than a soulless husk that could not be trusted, Cyrus had a way of making his words seem sincere and heartfelt.
Cyrus just had a way of making him believe.
So despite what his gut was trying to tell him, he decided to force down his fears – dismissing it as the natural paranoia of a veteran criminal. Ultimately, he knew he was good at looking out for himself, and once again reaffirmed his belief that he was too valuable for Cyrus to sacrifice.
Case in point, the fact that he was given the task of overseeing the complete, methodical destruction of the Galactic Building. He knew that he was chosen for this duty because of his previous experience, something that Cyrus' other useless lackeys were too sheltered to have.
Therefore, he just nodded at his boss and walked away, returning to his previous duties. He left Cyrus' office, which was one of the few places untouched by the rampant destruction that was currently taking place in the building.
If a single civilian came into the building at this very moment, then they would be alarmed at how trashed everything was. His team was certainly thorough with their destruction, as filing cabinets, computers, and both physical and digital paperwork were all cleaned out. Luckily, with Cyrus holding full control over both the building and all of its employees, everyone inside was already in on the plan and no one outside would be able to enter and disturb their work. They would have their complete privacy until this was all over.
He let out a smirk as he imagined the bitter faces on those snooty authority figures once they realised that there was nothing to be found. All of their hard work to set up for a raid into the Galactic Building, to scour through their files to find anything incriminating, and all they would find would be bitterness at the fact that they had been outplayed.
Eventually, after working hard through all of the morning and afternoon, the interior of Galactic Building was truly and utterly torn down. They even had their Fire and Water types to scorch and flood everything, just to ensure that everything was well and truly gone.
As for the digital stuff, the boss had a team of eggheads working on that, and they had given the thumbs up to signal that everything incriminating was also removed.
Therefore, any hint about their plans, bases, or operations that could have been found from searching through the Galactic Building had been completely wiped clean. It was why they were abandoning the company and going to ground, so that the League would find nothing they could use to help them when they began their operations as Team Galactic.
As Cyrus put it, Galactic Company had served its purpose, and it was time to throw it away.
And with that all done, he returned to his boss, who was now standing alone in his now-destroyed office. The man wasn't even staring out of the window – he just stood there blankly like a statue as he stared at some random wall.
He did his best to ignore that as he addressed Cyrus, "Boss, it's all cleared up now. We're ready to burn the building down."
"Good." The man nodded nonchalantly, as if burning down his life's work hardly affected him at all, "Then it's about time we head off as well."
And then they slinked off into the shadows, going to ground as they prepared to rise up again as Team Galactic from the safety of their hidden bases.
In their wake, the Galactic Building burned to the ground, leaving nothing but ashes in its wake.
A.N. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE! I SINCERELY HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY AND ARE ABLE TO REST WELL!
And…I realised that this probably isn't the most suitable chapter to upload on Christmas day…so that's my bad. But Team Galactic has finally made an appearance, signalled by the burning down of their legal identity and fully embracing their villainous side. Fanatical as they all are, there's no need to try to hide their affiliation or identities anymore. Now they're finally going to act on their plans, which I've deliberately not revealed in this chapter, and I'm excited to show how it'll finally take shape.
As for Proton, I've used him repeatedly to show off the villain's POV for this story, as I felt that his perspective was probably the most interesting way to show it off. I've always tried to paint him as the 'self-aware' criminal, even though he's more arrogant than he likes to believe. He's probably the most 'rational' out of Cyrus' subordinates, and I've dropped hints that he MIGHT have abandoned Team Galactic at some point, but his greed and arrogance always stop him from taking that step.
And now he's all-in as well. For Team Galactic and for Proton. There's no going back. Hope you enjoyed!
And to anyone who wants to support me, please check out my p atreon at CartecTNN where you can read 8 advanced chapters! Thanks to those who have supported me already!