Chapter 18: Heist of the Centuries

Once again, as Dee returned to the lobby she heard Elijah's voice on the speakers.

"Yes… security's shutting down… can easily get to the vault. Now just need to find the elevator… and deal with the mute. She's here to kill me… so make sure she dies first, no excuses!"

Dee paused as she was ascending the stairs and glared hatred up at the nearest speaker. "I'm going to save her." Then she continued to towards the suites. The elevator ride was long but smooth and part of Dee marveled at how all the machinery in the Sierra Madre was in perfect working condition.

When Dee stepped out of the elevator, she found herself in luxury hotel suites with red floral-patterned wallpaper. She looked to her right and saw one of the walls had been blown open, then a woman's voice came through the speakers.

"Hello? Is that you Dee? Must be, Elijah wouldn't… expose himself so easily… It's me… hurts to talk… find me in the back. Watch for her… security holograms." The voice was measured with a forced calm.

"I'll come find you," Dee turned and headed for the breach in the wall, only to almost run into a hologram of Vera, exactly like the one at the fountain. It turned to Dee and suddenly glowed red then began to cry out in the same voice she had just heard on the speakers.

"Sinclair? Sinclair, were did you go?" the hologram started firing lasers at Dee which forced her to dodge into a nearby room and shut the door, which seemed to stop the hologram from pursuing her even as it kept up it's crying for help. "Why did you leave me here? Why…"

Dee listened as the voice got further away, "Sinclair! Sinclair! The doors, they… they sealed. I… I can hear the other guests, screaming to be let out, to let go. I came so far to be here… now, now I just want to leave. Please… let me leave."

Dee did her best to shut out what she could only call the wailing of an old-world spirit as she weaved her way through the executive suites. A lot of the walls were broken down, probably from overzealous security holograms based on the burns around the edges. Dee had to weave back and forth around the suites and even duck around rooms to avoid the security holograms. The Suites turned out to be very self-contained, having a kitchen and laundry room so those staying there wouldn't have to leave. After an hour of dodging and avoiding the security holograms, Dee found the security terminal in the laundry room and, after hacking into it, was able to set the hologram's systems to recognize anyone as friendly. She swiped her forehead in relief then turned to head into the largest room on the floor.

Inside was a living room with a bar and two doors. The door to the left opened and the Zoroark-woman stepped out, still in her high-tech armor. She blushed when she saw Dee, still naked save for her backpack. "I was getting worried one of the security holograms got you."

Dee smiled, "I'm alright. You can talk now?"

The Zoroark-woman nodded then tried to touch her throat around the energy ring that was still there, "Hurts to swallow, and it might give out after a while."

"Can you at least tell me your name?" Dee approached her friend.

"Yes, it's Holly."

Dee stared at her, then blinked as something finally clicked in her mind, "Holly? You're Holly?"

Holly just stared back, suddenly on the defensive, "Do you know me?"

"I met your mate, Crafty, before I came here. I think she's looking for you." Dee shook her head to clear up the thoughts, "I guess I didn't think you'd evolved."

"I can't believe she's still looking for me," Holly relaxed, looked down then back up at Dee, "What happened to your ring?"

Dee reached up to her neck, "I removed it, after the security system overloaded it. I did the same for Dean and Dog. Here, I'll get rid of yours," Dee held her hands forwards which started to glow blue with aura, "It's going to hurt."

"I can handle it," Holly stepped forwards and let Dee grab the energy ring around her neck.

Dee took a deep breath and pulled, pouring more aura into her hands as the ring got looser and looser. Holly grit her teeth as the pain from her vocal cords and the ring removal compounded but she held her ground until the ring finally burst.

"Aaaa!" Holly moved to rub her neck, then winced at her own touch, "Hurts like hell but at least that thing's gone now. Thank you, Dee."

Dee nodded, "Elijah wanted me to kill you because he said you're here to kill him. If you came here for that, it can't just be for what he did here."

Holly turned sideways, "For all he's done here, Elijah's done worse elsewhere but…" She raised her right hand to her chest and clenched it into a fist, "I'm here… because he cut me off from Crafty. When I was asked to track him down for his… other crimes… I jumped at the opportunity. Now I need to finish what I started."

Dee stared at Holly, the rage and desire for vengeance pouring off her like a poison. An all to familiar feeling for Dee. She reached out and touched Holly's shoulder, "Holly, don't do this."

"What?" Holly rounded on Dee ready to rebuke her, but stopped when she saw the look of pain on the shiny Lucario-woman's face.

"I know how you're feeling, I was hurt in Big MT too." Dee took a deep shuddering breath as she touched the scar where her chest spike used to be, "They did this to me, turned me into an experiment and used me to try and break free into Kalos." She clenched the hand on her chest into a fist, "I was so angry, I wanted to make them pay! I killed them all!" Dee shut her eyes as tears flowed, "I know they were a danger, I know they needed to be stopped but… all I wanted to do was make them pay and after that…" she let her hands fall to her side, "When I saw their bodies… I felt so empty inside… I know its hard but if you just keep going for revenge…"

"What am I supposed to do!" Holly was shaking, "I've spent years chasing him… if I give up…"

"It's not giving up!" Dee shook her head, "it's letting go of an obsession! I know Elijah needs to be stopped but if he's stayed ahead of you this long then he won't fall for any trap you try to set for him, especially here."

Holly swallowed hard and winced, "So what do we do?"

Dee took a deep breath to calm her nerves, "We can lure him out. He wants into the Sierra Madre's vault and Dean told me that your new voice can unlock it."

Holly was about to touch her throat, then stopped herself, "My new voice?"

Dee nodded then averted her eyes, "Dean was the one you put you in that auto-doc and tore up your vocal cords, to make you sound like Vera, because her voice can open the Sierra Madre's vault. The password is 'begin again but know when to let go'."

Holly looked down, "I see… I should want to go after him for that… but compared to some of the things I've done hunting for Elijah and what Elijah's done…"

"Dean couldn't let go, that's why he's still here after centuries when he could have left any time." Dee sighed, "If you unlock the vault and I go down there, it should lure Elijah out especially once he sees he can't use a dark ball to control me again. I'll try to deal with him once he follows me, but if he comes back then you'll be here to ambush him. Let him pass through first though, just in case he's figured out you're still alive."

Holly nodded, "Alright. The entrance is this way." She led Dee through a door behind the bar. It was a short hallway that ended at an elevator with what looked like an intercom on the wall. Holly leaned close to the intercom and spoke the password, "Begin again, but know when to let go."

There was a beep and the words "VOICE AND PASSWORD RECOGNIZED" appeared on the screen and a clunk indicated that the elevator was unlocked.

"Here I go," Dee girded herself.

"Please come back," Holly gave Dee another kiss on the cheek which made them both blush before Holly turned to walk back to the suite to hide in the other side room while Dee stepped into the elevator and rode it all the way down the Madre into the basement.

Dee emerged into a corridor that resembled something from a Silph-co Vault, but as Dee emerged from the corridor she found herself in a massive chamber with a large catwalk platform with two generators to either side. Straight ahead, between the generators, was a massive structure with a single armored door entrance flanked either side by a portrait of a woman in sexy dress with the words "SIERRA MADRE" under each of them.

Dee opened the vault door and stepped inside, then stared at the contents as she looked around: a medical station with a pile of prepared painkiller injections, a locker full to bursting with armaments, a vending machine like she'd found elsewhere and a table with a small crate full of softball sized gold orbs! Dee walked to the table and picked up one, it was heavy but not a big deal for her. She'd only seen of these in the old Pokemon games she played back in Vault 18, nuggets. It made sense that this was what Dean was looking for before the war but why would Elijah want these? Did they have any value anymore? Dee took off her backpack and decided to take a few as souvenirs. There were almost 40 of them, far too many for Dee to carry so she just took half-a-dozen and stored them under the food she had packed from the restaurant and one in each side pocket for better balance.

Dee looked around again as she pulled her backpack on and saw a terminal at the opposite end of the vault next to a simply furnished bed. She pushed the chair in front of the terminal aside and accessed it, finding only two entries: "Vera Keyes" and another just titled "Vera". The Vera Keyes entry just displayed a message that said: "Holotape Extracted, File not found". The second entry showed something much longer and Dee read it.

"Vera, if you're reading this, my fears have come to pass, and this is an apology.

I hope you realized what my last words meant to you. If so, they have led you here, and this place will keep you safe. I know what they meant for me, and I fear they have trapped me here.

I have extracted the previous entry after our conversation tonight. It can't have been easy for you, and I am sorry for all I've put you through in silence. I know while you do not love me, you did not mean any malice in what you did.

I knew about your plans to rob the casino with Dean before you told me. Hearing it from you didn't make it any easier. For what it's worth, I am glad you told me yourself, and I understood the tapes he had in his possession.

I do not think either one of you realized what your addiction stemmed from, however, and that is the tragedy in this. I suspect the world would not have believed you, regardless, so I respect your desire to keep it from others.

When first building this Villa, this casino, I meant it for you. As the world seemed to race headlong toward war, it became part of my desire to protect you. The loans, the funding I poured into the casino's construction...

I knew it would not matter when war came for us. It was my means of creating a shelter, a defense if the world was bombarded in radiation and bombs.

When Dean revealed his plans inadvertently through our introduction, I realized what had happened, and how I had been tricked. For a time, my thoughts were dark. I changed the casino vault from a shelter to a trap, as I knew the first one to enter would be Dean. He would die down here, and it would have been by his own hand.

I fear, however, that I overstepped myself, and the only safe place in the casino is the Vault. I have tried to rewire the systems, change the protocols, and I cannot. I will do one last check on the pipes by the edge of the outside platform and see if anything can be done. I fear it is useless.

If you come down here, do not access my personal accounts entry.

It contains only a message for Dean, and it will seal the door and you will have no way out - even the elevator is designed to automatically return when the door is closed, and it will lock in place.

There should be enough in the Vault to sustain you until help arrives. I have ensured that there is enough medical supplies down here to keep you comfortable.

The holograms should defend the casino from any attackers, and the hologram beacon in the Villa will broadcast an emergency signal so that others know you are here.

When danger has passed, rescue will come.

I hope you were able to read this, and know that I loved you.

Frederick Sinclair"

Dee stepped back for a moment, Sinclair knew about Dean's plot and this whole place was a trap? She saw that the entry she had just read was gone and, in its place, there was a new one called "Sinclair's Personal Accounts".

The sound of sliding metal drew Dee's attention to a screen right behind the terminal opening, and on that screen she saw Elijah.

"You. You're in the vault… finally. After all this time. The Sierra Madre… mine." Elijah's voice turned from relief to anger as he looked at Dee, "Don't move, don't go into the vault. And don't touch anything else… there may be more traps down there… another security system."

Dee glanced down at the terminal as a plan formed in her head, then she leaned forwards to access the terminal again, "Too late, I'm already in here and have access." She opened Sinclaire's private accounts and, like most personal files she's come across before, there was an extra screen before the actual access.

Warning : Private Access Only

Open Personal Logs?

Yes.

No.

Back

Elijah looked enraged, "Why you…! Don't touch any more you beast or I'll set off your ring with your Dark Ball." He held up the rubbed Poke Ball into view

Dee stood up and crossed her arms as best she could as she glared at Elijah, "If you could have, you already would have."

"Insolent beast!" Elijah squeezed the ball.

Dee didn't even flinch.

Elijah paused, then leaned closer to the camera to get a better look at the shiny Lucario-woman, "Your ring's gone!? How did you get rid of it!?"

Dee touched her gold banded neck but maintained her glare, "I removed it, on my own."

"Impossible…you regressive beasts can't know how to interfere with this level of technology." Elijah spluttered and threw the ball down where it shattered at his feet. "Don't you dare touch anything down there! I won't have my victory stolen from me after this long!"

"What kind of victory?" Dee reached into one of her backpack's side pockets and retrieved the nugget stored there, which she held up for Elijah to see, "To steal this old-world treasure?" she looked back at the still sizeable pile of nuggets she had left on the table then back to the screen, "Is this even worth anything now?"

Elijah laughed contemptuously, "You really think I'm as petty as that ghoul to want something like that?"

Dee's expression loosened as she put the nugget back in her pack, "Then what were you trying to do here? What is there to steal in this place?" she spread her arms wide to indicate the room she was in. "What do you want?!"

"What do I want?" Elijah folded his arms, "Weapons. Security. A citadel of my own. The Madre's all these things. It's a fortress and a weapon. A chance… to… 'begin again'. Once I unlock its archives, I can carve Kalos into any shape I choose."

"Any shape, with what? The Shadow Pokemon?" Dee was confused.

Elijah shook his head, "Not them but what created them. The Shadow is unique in my ravels. It's proximity to the Sierra Madre isn't a coincidence. Right now it protects this casino, preserves it. It can be used to preserve other Old World relics – and cleanse them, at the same time. As much as I've researched hologram technology, the Big Empty facility was clear: only the Sierra Madre got holograms working… properly. The holograms here kill trespassers. That's what I want. Dump one of those emitters in the middle of any battle, there's no defense, and unlike you Pokemon, no chance of disobedience or rebellion if you think different than your master. Arm it – anyone stands against you, dies. And the machines that fill its streets, its corridors. The provide, provide almost anything. Sources of food, supplies… medical assistance, ammo… make more Dark Balls, even print currency. Make a nation. The Shadow allows me to wipe the slate clean. Dark Balls ensure cooperation. Holograms – obedient defense. The vending machines provide… everything else. The Sierra Madre can kill nations and build them, using its technology with the right applications."

Dee stepped back, then clenched her fists, "The Old World is gone!" She swept a hand sideways, a small burst of aura coming from her in her anger. Then a thought occurred to her as she remembered Crafty knew Elijah, and if they came from the same community and he was still human…

"Are you so bitter at failing to hybridize that you consider us all just mindless beasts?"

"You are! Just like the Pokemon before but more disobedient without coercion and control. You need to be controlled or you'll just run wild like the rest of your kind!" Elijah spat.

Dee held up a hand and clenched it into a fist as a field of electricity sprang up around it, "Then maybe I'll run wild down here, destroy the treasure you're so eager to get your hands on."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"I know these things, I could smash just the right terminal and destroy all your access to the Madre's mainframe," Dee put on a malicious smile, "Even if you could repair it, could you do it in time to realize your dream?"

Elijah pulled a high-tech rifle off his back, "You touch anything down there and I'll blow your head off, even without a Dark Ball!"

"Then come down and face me, Elijah, or you'll lose everything." Dee readied as if to punch the terminal in front of her.

Elijah dashed away from the screen and Dee let out a sigh of relief as she lowered her hand and let the electricity vanish. She wasn't sure she could have kept up that performance much longer. She quickly checked that the terminal was still on the last access page, before Sinclair's personal logs, then bolted from the room.

She heard the sound of the elevator ahead, Elijah had moved fast, and ducked behind one of the generators in front of the room so she was hidden from view. She reached out with her senses as her aura dreads rose and she felt the anger and worry from someone coming closer, it had to be Elijah!

Dee could have jumped out from cover, put an end to him here and now, but she recalled what Frankie the Kirlia-man had told her: don't take revenge yet. Even if she hadn't she didn't want to ignore the advice that she'd given to Holly.

As Elijah approached, Dee felt anxiety build in her chest as she carefully shuffled around the generator to keep it between them. She felt her throat clench as he walked between the two generators, barely two meters separating them.

"At last, I'm here!" Elijah's voice was ecstatic.

Dee peeked out to see Elijah arrive at the entrance to the Sierra Madre's Vault and step past the still open door. Not knowing how long she had, Dee jumped out and sprinted for the elevator. She slammed the button almost hard enough to break it and jumped inside, pounding the "up" button over and over until the door closed and she felt the car ride upwards. She slumped against the wall in relief, her anxiety staying behind in the basement.

Elijah heard Dee's feet pounding on the catwalk and turned to take aim with his gauss rifle, but the elevator door was already shut by the time he looked through the scope. "Bah… never mind. I can deal with her later." Elijah entered the vault and looked around, relieved that nothing appeared to be damaged. He walked straight to the terminal and saw the screen.

Warning : Private Access Only

Open Personal Logs?

Yes.

No.

Back

Elijah selected yes, eager to access the terminal's information, and a log popped up.

Dean,

If you're reading this, this is goodbye. You will have many years to read this message. Why you have smiled in my face and held a dagger to me, I do not know. You were rich, respected... even admired, loved by many. When you finally pass away down here, either by your own hand or starvation, know that your greed has led you here, for no reason I can understand.

You have made a habit in using others for your own ends. Now, the Sierra Madre is your reward. Whether you used blackmail or force - or even played to Vera's greed, it will not help down here in the Vault. Greed has led you here. I hope it leaves you as empty as you left me.

The door has sealed, the elevator has left. Even Vera's voice will not unlock it. Know that on the night of the Gala Event I shall raise my glass and whisper, "Fortunato."

In pace requiescat,

Frederick Sinclair

Elijah heard the door swing shut behind him and the click of the lock then turned and hustled to it. He tried to turn the wheel to open it, but it didn't budge. He tried to access the terminal, tried to hack it, but every time he just found the same message from the main terminal, over and over.

"No…No. No! I can't lose now! I'm so close!" He turned and ran to the door, pounding on it as much as he could, but didn't so much as chip the paint, "You! Let me out of here, Lucario! Let me out! I'll do anything, anything! Don't leave me locked in here!" His pounding eventually grew weaker.

No one heard him. The door didn't budge. He had his fortress now, one that would eventually become his tomb…