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 Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 6:10 pm
Paul gritted his teeth. "Gah, what is with these people? Who is this one now?" Paul again hefted his assault rifle, took a moment to swap the sight for his scope, and then stomped down the stairs. Throwing open the door, Paul made it immediately clear that he was frustrated and armed, a combination that had ended poorly innumerable times in innumerable places with innumerable people.
"Okay, listen up. Someone just teleported into my upstairs, so you've got the benefit of not having just jumped on in. I, however, am a paranoid man. You may have noticed the many, many antipersonnel mines scattered about my yard. You probably haven't noticed most of them. So let's be clear when I say that if you want to come to my house, I'm going to need a damn good reason.
"And by 'damn good reason', I mean something that beats 'I need you to go save some kids for some underexplained purpose, largely assuming a huge degree of philanthropy. If you're selling something, you're dead where you stand. Especially if - but nevermind, those salesmen are long since dead - quickly, quickly, tell me what you're here for."
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 8:19 pm
Jacob groaned as he stirred to the jarring blare of his alarm clock. He hated and he loved that alarm clock. At times like this, he hated it with a burning, burning passion. Of course it was still the only alarm clock he'd ever encountered that woke him up. Of course, it also woke up his parents... and his sister. The wailing of his infant sibling combined with the jarring, ragged pulses of his alarm to form a cacophany that reached into his ear, scoured his mind with a combination of steel wool and sandpaper, and then dragged the remains out through the oopposite ear. Not how one usually wants to wake up, especially if one wakes up to find they have spent the entire night asleep on the floor, and are now sore and/or stiff in more places than previously though possible.
The alarm clock, sadly, did not survive the morning. Somewhere between the too-strong stike of the snooze button, the ensuing grab of the glaring clock face and the yanking it out of the wall by said face, there was a little too much stress in one too many places, and said clock now dwells in the junkyard in the sky where all good little appliances go when unjustly removed from operation.
Jacob, meanwhile, despite having just destroyed his favorite clock was still forced to stir by the incessant wailings of his sibling. Unfortunately, she did not have a plug to pull, and being the one who woke her, he was the one who'd earned the privalege of putting her back under. Groggily, he pulled himself to his feet. Even his thought was momentarily monosyllabic as his bleary eyes searched the room. Alarm on. Why? School? No. Chore? No. other? No?
Halfway between getting his feet under himself, and actually standing, a rush of realization hit him. Today. Noon. The Burnt House.
His eyes widened. The haze of tiredness dissapated in a single moment of clarity. Last night returned in a blur of packing sorting. A breif flash of his thought process as he set the now-useless alarm in his hand reveled it to be a little bit after eight. His adrenaline faded, and he grasped the edge of his nightstand for support. Thank god!
the next four hours, his mind was elsewhere. Namely, the burnt house. He went through his day emotionlessly, mechanically going through the motions of a normal day, impatiently delaying until that fateful hour.
He couldn't tell his parents of his plan. They'd never allow it. Even if the man was simply going to give him a pokemon and disappear, he wouldn't be able to come back. No, training at home was nowhere near as effective as the infamous journey. He would have to leave, of course. A simple note was all he could afford to leave. In the last hour and a half, he cleaned his room to a good degree, got changed into his cami long-sleeve, cargo pants, and black jacket, and raided the shed for the lest of the necessary gear. His final act was stealing some non-perishables from the pantry as he headed out the door, making sure neither of his parents saw him.
At elven thirty, Jacob Vahzhiloks climbed astraddle his bike, took a last look at home, and started pedaling. With fifteen minutes to spare, a backpack full of makeshift survival gear, and a look of determination, he arived at the burnt house near the outside of town, kicked down his kickstand, and sat.
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 8:29 pm
((Sorry about that, Admiral Squish. I was waiting for the timelines to match up again, but I'll get to you in this post; everything will align shortly.))
"Oh!" exclaimed McCulloch's newest guest, with what seemed to be genuine concern for his health. He visibly flinched, much as Terrian had done, and then calmed himself and cleared his throat for long enough to listen to Paul's rant. This was not a man to be trifled with.
"Well, ah, Mr. McCulloch, I believe this man and I may have conflicting interests in conscripting your help- or attempting to conscript it," he swiftly rephrased, noting the angry glint in Paul's eyes. And the gun that still had not come down. "My name is Reverend Beati - short for Beatitude. It is a pseudonym, for my own protection. You understand.
"You see, I anticipated his coming here, but obviously not by enough time, so I hope you haven't been subjected to any unfortunate misconceptions about my particular motives." He brushed down the long, black cloak he was wearing. It covered up most of his body, but left his thin face and long, wispy hair exposed to the world.
"Mr. McCulloch, Dr. Terrian - for I assume that is who contacted you - has no intention of sparing the lives of children. Far from it, in fact." He grinned, positively astounded by the notion. "It is ludicrous to believe that such a man as yourself may have accepted anything he said as something besides thinly veiled half-truths that would pass by a psychic-type's polygraph skills, or the equivalent thereof they express. Dr. Terrian's motivation is entirely egoistic, Mr. McCulloch."
The newcomer's head wavered back and forth, as though shaken by the enormity of the twisted lies that had been allegedly spread. "His avarice and megalomaniacal drive may very well send the human race - no, the entire world - into oblivion. I imagine he has already conceived of a means for your transport to Glenville. When you arrive there, if you see those children, take them into immediate custody. Do not allow them to reach their destinations; I swear to you that allowing them to continue along their paths will only serve Terrian's destructive purposes." He stopped and stared entreatingly at Paul. "Please promise me you will not take the advice of a lunatic."
---
"Elian," Terrian said quietly, trying to gather his thoughts, "I do not want you to be kidnapped. Ultimately, it is your decision whether or not to go with them; though they are strong, I know that you and Aislin are capable of defending yourselves. By sending you to Glenville, I will give you more time to make your decision. Here, you may not have as much opportunity to weigh your options.
"The Exterminant is driven by what is technically a suicidal mission, Elian. They have deified the mew near Pompeii of which I imagine you have heard, and want to find a way to, in their words, 'expedite the eradication of the human stain.' By doing so, they hope to gain favor with the mew, so that they can enter Paradise. I'm not entirely solidified in my religious beliefs, but it is my opinion that they are deluded." He smiled sardonically at their silliness.
"I ask that you go calmly, for your protection and the protection of others. They will address you by 'Oracle,' and you must act as though you know what they mean. Phrase your words to draw information from them. They will submit to your commands, as long as they make even the slightest amount of sense." He laughed softly. "You could ask for a tray of assorted muffins, and they'd give it to you. Can't guarantee the quality, though."
Terrian's manner suddenly became brisk, and he stood. "We are unfortunately out of time. You will find yourself in Glenville shortly. The Drs. Oak will be there, and are perfectly aware that you're coming. I'm sorry I have so little time." With that, he flicked his wrist, and the girl, wheelchair, and cat vanished with a rush of air and a pop. After his ears had adjusted to the pressure change, Terrian sat on the bed with a beleaguered sigh. Outside the door, Dr. Andrej Bogdan suddenly stopped and noticed that the wrong person was in Elian's room. Terrian had not yet noticed him and was rubbing his eyes tiredly.
---
In Glenville, the Drs. Oak were startled to hear a pop and see a somewhat surprised, very familiar patient of Dr. Bogdan's. Sigmund immediately shut down the programs running on his computer and closed the machine that was programming pokéballs while Edward stood up and approached her. "Elian? Elian Joss? What are you doing here? Andrej said he wouldn't worry about sending you, yet. It's dangerous to be here; we can't send you away, yet, and... what on Earth is going on?" It was clear that the professor expected answers.
---
The next day, in Cliffshire...
"Ulysses. I don't have time. The package you received from my late mother is of interest to a terrorist organization; check it now for the pokéball that should have come in it."
"Sigmund, calm down."
"Check it!" the agitated voice shouted. From the other end of the phone, two similar voices could be heard arguing about how excitable Sigmund was and how respectful he needed to be. Ulysses found that the ball had, indeed, been stolen.
"It's gone," he said patiently. "What is the problem?"
"The Exterminant has it," he answered quickly, angrily, fearfully. "They're - they're a cult, Ulysses. Terrian just came here and told us; Charlesworth confirmed. We sent your contact, but I think the Exterminant is ready to ruin the whole thing. Find the boy - find Jacob Vahzhiloks. Make sure he's safe. Then go out and meet Talia, the one we told you about - she's in danger, and we can't reach her; the Exterminant cut out our wireless communication lines." He seemed on the verge of tears. "Damn it. Damn it!" The line clicked and went dead.
Ulysses was left staring at the phone. It wasn't like either of the remaining Oaks to get upset, for any reason. They were very cool-headed boys, much like their mother had been. And for Terrian to be entering the scene, with that kind of information, after years.. no, more than a decade, of having disappeared from the scientific community... This was very strange, indeed.
---
Elsewhere in Cliffshire...
Jacob found himself at the incinerated house that afternoon, awaiting the man who had approached him one day previously. There wasn't anyone there, yet. Just a burned out framework of a floor plan, a lonely-looking chimney, and the surrounding forest, full of the bright, wonderful colors of autumn.
And then, the old man was walking towards him from that forest. He was smiling as he had the day before, and again wearing his belt of pokéballs. When he reached Jacob, he said, "Ah, Mr. Vahzhiloks. Glad to see you made it. Are you ready to be a hero? If you are, I have your ticket right here." He held out the gleaming pokéball from the day before. "Inside here is a pokémon that is not of the prosaic type. It is a swinub, which I know is not the grandest creature ever to walk the earth, but this one is special." He smiled patronizingly. "This one has been engineered to also have some command over the dark-type ether; go ahead. Open it up." He nodded encouragingly.
---
Some hours earlier, in Glenville...
"We know why it has to be you," Sigmund said, smiling at the girl. "It has to be you because these pokémon were designed for each of you. Your parents know what is expected of you, I think, Talia, and though I'm surprised they didn't come with you, I'm glad they trust us."
He passed out the pokéballs, being very careful to make sure the right young adult received the right ball. "Inside these are genetically engineered pokémon, like we said," he started explaining as he backed up again. "For you, Juno, there is an eevee, which as far as we can tell has been granted a third type, as we call it, in the dragon-type area of ether use. For Talia, there is a pikachu who has the third-type of ghosts. And for Gerard, we have a particularly defensive pokémon for your particularly difficult target city: a larvitar, with third-type fire abilities.
"The third-types may not mature immediately, but will be more apparent and available to you and your pokémon fairly quickly as you both gain experience. Now, go ahead," he said encouragingly. "Let them out; name them; befriend them. As you know, pokémon are quite intelligent; astonishingly so, in fact, and will respond to their new masters with ease. Also remember, though, that those shows you may have seen where trainers call out particular moves their pokémon need to do are entirely inaccurate - you can't tell something to 'Fire Punch' or whatever and expect an immediate response. You will have to train it like any other animal. Now please. Experiment."
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 9:09 pm
(( *cracks knuckles* ))
Andrej sat in his office, reading through a letter that he had received for what had to be the hundredth time. The well creased paper hung lightly in his right hand as he pored over the words one at a time. In his left was a Pokeball, well polished and never opened. His fingers absently rolled it as he read the same words over and over again, letting his eyes jump to wherever they would on the page. The late Professor Oak certainly had a way with words. Even in the impersonal style she had used to send multiple letters, it still felt like he was sitting with her like he had when they were researching together. He smiled faintly and put the letter down on his desk. For just a moment he sat with his eyes closed. It was rare for him to take the time to simply sit and enjoy the day like he once had. A moment later he sighed again and opened his eyes. With a push and a quiet groan, he lifted his wiry frame from the chair and walked to the closet in his office. Within, he placed the pokeball back into the safe that he had kept it in ever since he first received it.
Looking back out into the room, his wrinkled face was split into a smile. In a patch of sunlight that shone through the window, his Jolteon, Vuk, had taken his normal position. Flat on his back with his legs up in the air slightly, napping in the sunlight. The gold chain wrapped around his left foreleg glinted faintly in the light and, though the sun only bounced off of it, the amber pendant shone like a small sun of its own. He knew it was likely due to ether building up in it, but he simply accepted it for the sake of looking pretty. Vuk would be able to draw more power from it soon enough.
In the corner of the room, his Tyrogue, Kolega, was shadow boxing; bobbing, weaving, and throwing punches at an invisible foe. It bore scars, but the Pokemon had won far more fights than it had lost. Almost hating to break their lazy day, Andrej opened the door. Immediately, both Pokemon turned to look at him. "C'mon. Let's go see how Elian is feeling today." Vuk popped to his feet and trotted over, his tail wagging slightly as he waited to be petted. Andrej smiled and scratched at his old friend's ears as Kolega walked over. With a nod, Andrej pushed the door open and they began to walk down the hallway.
They were nearly to Elian's room when Andrej began to feel something odd. The air seemed to rush for a brief moment as though someone had slammed every door in the building simultaneously. Not truly knowing why, he sped up his pace. His Pokemon fell into stride, sharing a silent glance between them. Something was agitating Andrej, and they didn't know what it was either. As soon as Andrej rounded the corner of her doorframe and the two Pokemon caught up, all three immediately realized exactly what the problem was.
Andrej strode in, his eyes narrowing slightly while his other features remained generally unchanged. Vuk and Kolega, however, were less friendly. Something seemed off about the odd man sitting in Elian's place on the bed. "Pardon me," Andrej said quietly, "But where might my patient be? You're sitting in her place, and I honestly don't recal giving any permission for her to be taken out of her room for anything today." His calm demeanor was hanging on by a thread, but Vuk was funneling Andrej's true emotions. The Jolteon had lowered onto its haunches, the electric quills all over its body standing on end with a quiet growl rolling from his throat. Kolega remained back, but had his weight on the balls of his feet.
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 9:10 pm
Juno held the pokéball carefully in her hands. She was surprised to hear that she'd received an eevee. She loved eevees, so she supposed it was her good luck to have one. And she has dragon-type? That's new... There was no proof of whether the pokémon would be male or female, but Juno just felt that she'd be a girl. She squatted down and unleashed the eevee from its pokéball.
Her face broke out into a wide smile. The eevee sat right across from her and stared at her with a curious glance. The tip of her ears were white, just like the end of her tail and chest fur. "Hey there, my name's Juno." Her eevee blinked at her and tilted its head. "Heehee, you're adorable. I wanna be friends with you, is that all right?" Juno held out her hand to the cute little eevee.
It got on its paws and walked up to her. After some time of staring, Juno must have passed a test because the eevee hopped up and licked the tip of her nose. With a soft giggle, Juno asked, "How do you like the name of Evie?" Evie responded by brushing up against Juno's leg, showing how much she liked the name. Juno smiled yet again, and picked up Evie. She cradled Evie in her arms while Evie cuddled against her. She's a sweetie.
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 9:20 pm
Now here was a conundrum. A man of science (probably a science Paul did not subscribe to) and a man of religion (a religion Paul did not subscribe to, assuredly). Each one came with conflicting interests... but only one accused the other of wrong. This tipped the balance in Paul's mind from the beginning, and Rev. Beati was not winning. Beatitute... pure bliss. What a... nice name. Paul didn't like it at all. The man's attitude was more polite, but there was just... no, it wasn't right to judge him on that. Maybe there was something to what he said.
Egoistic. That sounded right. Avarice, megalomaniacal drive. 'I'm not to be trusted.' What did he even mean by that? Children. Children, custody. Custody. Protection. An idea began to blossom in Paul's head, an idea so absurd it just might work - it just might play out perfectly. It was like they wanted him to do it.
"Alright, Reverend," Paul began. "You're telling me that Dr. Terrian is a bad man, in short. I... I think we may be able to agree on this point. I can probably even take those children into 'custody', as you request. However, before I agree to anything, I have one personal request. I want you to explain both what you haven't and what Dr. Terrian wouldn't. Who are these children, and what do they mean? I'm not going to play the part of a pawn. If you know me at all, you should realize I don't do particularly well with blind orders, so I'd love to hear some evidence." Paul watched the man. If this worked...
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 10:39 pm
Elian listened closely to every single word that left Terrian’s mouth, as if she would only hear it once in her lifetime, as if it were some sort of universal secret only to be whispered once to her and her alone. It was a lot of information to take in. Five minutes ago, all she had ever worried about was if and when she would be released from the hospital, and where she would go after that. Elian knew what became of her farm, of the ranch she held so dear, and the father she had left to chase after her closest friend. The Cataclysm left nothing to mercy, especially through its people. All Elian knew, was that the only thing left of her ranch was charred wood and silken ashes. As for her father, she could only assume he had perished, for no word had been received as to his whereabouts (and he had known well enough about Elian’s injury).
Waking up from her initial coma was indeed a traumatic experience, but it seemed that just as she had become accustomed to the clinic, she was thrown through another loop. Suddenly, a crazed cult decided that she was their Oracle, their glimpse at their future conquest and the answers to their questions. What was worse, was that this delusional group was not only crazy, but dangerous, it seemed. Now knowing her situation, it was apparent that wherever she would go, that cult would follow, harming whoever was unfortunate enough to stand in their way or provide the wrong information.
“If he’s telling the truth… I have to listen to him… I have to be kidnapped by this insane cult.”
For a small moment, Elian became lost in her thoughts, at least until Aislin meowed in a low tone. It was mostly a worrisome noise, that snapped Elian from her concentration to glance awkwardly at Terrian. What did he mean, she would be in Glenville? “W-wait a second, Terrian, I still have que-“
For a second, the earth seemed to pick itself up, tip upside down, and spin wildly until finally screeching to a sudden halt. Upon her arrival to the Oak facility, Elian couldn’t help but gasp as if she had held her breath for an eternity, her shaking hands hovering over her stomach as she felt it twist from the sudden motion sickness. Aislin however, didn’t seem nearly as affected as it let out a low growl at the minor annoyance, easily bounding from Elian’s lap to give her room to lean forward. Groaning, Elian brought her hands to her head, taking slow, deep breaths to calm her stomach until a voice suddenly broke her from her stupor. Unfortunately, whoever was in front of her sounded as confused as she was, which meant, she would probably get little answers as to what had just happened.
“I… Ugh…” She grumbled, waiting for the room to stop spinning before she slowly opened her eyes. Looking up, she met the curious gazes of the Oak boys, her eyes widening in shock in curiosity at the sight. “Wh-… I was just…” She stuttered, glancing around slowly, thinking herself insane.
“How did I get here just now? Where’s Terrian?”
So many questions left unanswered. How was she supposed to go about getting captured by this cult without putting anyone else in danger? Why was she sent to the Oak boys (how did she get there in the first place)? And what was going on? Life was finally slowing down and suddenly everything was spinning right back out of control. Whatever was going on, it was obvious she had a part, but what was a blind girl supposed to do?
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 11:26 pm
The aged Ulysses sighed as he replaced the phone on its charger. It was a good thing the Oaks had called him this early in the day. A few more hours and he wouldn't dare start a journey from home. Not with those fools out there in the wild, living like animals.
He fetched his jacket from its place upon the rocking chair's back and slid into it slowly; hard life or no, Dr. Shonevsky couldn't fight the fact that his joints were getting old. In particular, he felt the touch of time in his left elbow, wrist, and knee. Occasionally he found himself wondering why his left side suffered so much more than his right, but of course he couldn't answer that: his knowledge of human biology was limited to that which it applied to the effects of ether. Ether and its effects on the Universe had been Ulysses's prime field of study. Little proof remained beyond that which was currently stored in the retired professor's own desk drawer in his cozy cabin.
Gloria and Junior were still outside, patrolling the cabin's perimeter and thus only had a vague idea that something was about to change via their psychic links with the old professor. But the gengar known as Djinn knew something drastic had changed by the sound of voices on the other end, and was already on his feet, standing eagerly at Ulysses's left. The man smiled and crouched beside Djinn. "We're leaving, Djinn, and I don't know when we're coming back. Go collect some food to put in the packs."
Djinn's naturally large grin widened as he marched into the pantry to collect foodstuffs. Meanwhile, Ulysses stepped outside to find Gloria already approaching the small set of stairs. Her fiery red eyes locked onto her partner's-- Ulysses that is. They had always considered each other equals, and it was for that very reason-- among a few others-- that Gloria had accepted his friendship and the personal name. Her seriousness was greatly contradicted by the humorous image of Junior riding on her back: his arms and legs gently clutching her sides, his head was tilted to one side, and his tail swayed slightly as Gloria's weight shifted from left to right and back again. It could even be considered cute, although Ulysses was one to rarely use terms of that variety.
What is it? Gloria inquired. Or rather, she impressed upon Ulysses her curiosity about his slightly disturbed state of mind. Ideas and images were used instead of English between the ninetales and the retired Doctor. Whether or not Gloria was capable of proper English had never been made clear, and Ulysses was okay with that: his respect for her was great enough to keep him from pursuing the matter, and in all honesty he quite enjoyed their manner of communication. Junior didn't even ask. He knew Gloria would ask, receive an answer, and in turn the young abra would also.
Gloria bowed her head slowly after Ulysses relayed his information. There was a stern exchange of glances between them. Gloria seated herself and little Junior slid a short distance to land on his rump with a soft thump. His small clawed hands came to rest against his meager thighs. Still, he remained coiled around Gloria, his chest and skull pressed to her furry backside. Watching Junior's slovenly and lethargic behavior always seemed to bring a smile to Shonevsky's face, and this time was no different. Still, there was business to attend to, and Gloria understood. Her posture and thoughts spoke of patience.
Back inside, Djinn was halfway through packing the first backpack. Ulysses joined him and the task was completed in just a few minutes. To the larger pack, he added additional shotgun shells that would fit his 12-gauge. There were forty-two including the six already loaded into the pump-action weapon. A few more small items were added: flashlight, first aid kit, and the like. It was a snug fit. Surveying the items within, Ulysses noted in a rather amusing manner it was something of a good thing this emergency had arisen: many of the groceries would be going bad in the next twelve to eighteen months.
Packed and ready as they'd ever be, the retired scientist shouldered the larger backpack while Djinn took upon himself the other. While he admired the ghost-pokémon's eager attitude, he shook his head. While pointing out the window, he muttered, "Not now." The sun was still up and they all knew how greatly Djinn despised its warm rays. The gengar was determined, however, and marched right on out the door. He grimaced as he continued his march from the west side of the house where the front door was located toward the north side. So be it.
Gloria-- with Junior on her back-- was closely in tow, and Ulysses took a moment to hoist the abra from the ninetales' back and plop the pokémon on his own shoulders. Junior's chin rested upon the retiree's graying hair, but otherwise his form was as limp as a rag doll, and again Ulysses smiled. Junior never failed to brighten his day, it seemed. Catching Gloria's gaze, they exchanged a quick discourse. She thought it best if she carried Junior. Shonevsky responded that he thought it best if one of them was unburdened, and that it should be her for now. She was the most powerful of the pokémon and wasn't hindered by the sunlight like Djinn. Silently, she accepted this line of reasoning.
Thus began Ulysses Shonevsky's first and perhaps final journey from the home he had built with his own bare hands all those years ago. Now began his second journey across the continent: this time, however, he ventured not for personal gain and glory but at the request of an old (and deceased) friend. It brought back many memories from all across the span of his lifetime, and these were the things that kept his mind busy while the troupe headed toward Cliffshire to find Jacob Vahzhiloks.
I suppose I should have asked what this boy looks like, came his rather last-minute realization.
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Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 1:07 am
The food was every bit as tasty as it smelled and talking with the Howards was like having all of her favorite online journals update at once, so Lexi had to work hard to remember to swallow first and talk second, though she was pretty sure she managed it. This was awesome. Great food, great company, and best yet: a pokemon, likely of her very own.
Once Mrs. Howard started talking about the unown, Lexi realized where she had seen their names before…on those articles on psychic illusions. She could understand why the couple was hiding from Woodmount. Her mom worked for one of the City Operations Council members, and going by what she told her about his ideas and how often reducing other towns' occupants to their constituent atoms factor into them, she was sure she didn’t want the city’s raiders to know how to become invisible.
No sooner had the woman finished explaining the last surprise than she dropped a new one. An electric-type spearow?! No way! She made a quiet descending whistle. Between her dad’s stories and her own experience, she knew that electricity was probably the worst of a flying-type pokemon’s weaknesses, with few ice types and even fewer rock types being fast enough to abuse their advantages, and right in her pocket was a spearow that could control it. Her dad was never going to believe this. Heck, she was here and she was still having a hard time believing it. “Yeah, no kidding, it’s impressive”
She couldn’t help smiling, especially after Mrs. Howard called her husband’s three words ‘rambling’ after everything she had said. She pulled the ball back out of her pocket and stared at it. For a second, she wanted nothing more than to run outside and let the spearow out, just to see the creature that had occupied so much of her thoughts since the ball had been set in her hands, but then she realized that there had to be more and her expression sobered. It wasn’t entirely a frown, too many good things had happened today for an unknown reality to bother her that much, but…the real world still existed. No matter how much she wished things could be like the old days when a person showing promise as a trainer could get a pokemon dropped in their hands with little more instruction than to enjoy, or how much she was enjoying pretending that it could still happen that way, she would eventually either have to wake up and find herself alone in her tree fork, or find out why she was going to need such an incredible pokemon as a guardian.
She spun the ball’s miniaturized form between her thumb and forefinger. “Thank you so much for giving her to me…I’ll do my best to take good care of her…” Promising good care in these days, she realized, would be stupid, but she meant what she said. Whatever the situation in the rest of the world, she had encountered an event she had always dreamed about. The spearow was hers--her partner and her responsibility. She looked back up at the two scientists. “…But there’s more to this, isn’t there? What would make me need her as a guardian?”
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Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 5:12 pm
Jacob stared at the pokeball for a long moment. This was it. The crowning moment of his life. The first step in the journey of a thousand miles. His mind leaped with joy. He raised a hand that shook slightly. A thousand questions burned in his skull. Why was a stranger giving him a pokemon? Who was this man? Why was it free? Did the man expect something out of him? Did he have some potential he'd never dared to hope for?
His shivering fingers wrapped around the pokeball. It felt.. oddly warm. He lifted it. The weight of his entire future seemed to rest on it. It had a surprising heft to it, and he brought it towards himself, staring at the little white button that held back his first pokemon. Some strange section of the back of his mind struggled to hold onto the leash that held the other dozen, all straining frantically for the pokeball. Finally, the others overcame it, and his thumb reached up, tapping in the button.
the top opened up, revealing the mechanical guts of the pokemon and a seethign orb of red light. A flash of red light showed as it poured out of the container in an arc, pooling on the ground. Slowly, the outline of a dome shape emerged, solidifying, until it finallty formed that recognizable creature, swinub. Only a foot tall at the peak of it's dome, it's tiny, piglike snout snuffled inquisitively at it's new surroundings, turning this way and that, it's shaggy brown coat dragging in the dusty road.
Catching a scent, the tiny pig-dome shuffled towards Joacb, who knealt reverently in front of it. He held out the back of his hand to the tiny pokemon, which snuffled inquisitively towards it. The contact of the little, round nose on his hand make him jump. Cold! He smiled as he relaxed once more. The swinub returned to sniffing curiously at his hand. Seemingly satisfied, it shuffled forward, resembling a pig crossed with a roomba crossed with a shitzu, and nuzzled affectionatelyinto his hand.
He smiled, and began to pet the little pokemon with both hands, smiling warmly, running his fingers through it's thick, shaggy fur as it nuzzled into his forearms, which were all it could reach without disrupting it's petting. It snuffled happily as he picked it up, and pulled it close to his chest. there, he could feel that it did, in fact, have feet, as he stroked it's fur, and the pig pokemon nuzzled and wiggled it's way up until it's cold, moist nose snuffled into his hairless chin.
He smiled broadly as he turned to the man again. "Thank you, sir. I promise, I'll take good care of him, and make sure he gets nice and strong." He told him, meaning every word. "If I may ask... Why are you just giving away a pokemon like this? If he's special like you said, why wouldn't you want him?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 8:44 pm
The evening of the first day...
The phone rang.
That was weird. The phone never rang. It hadn’t even rung when they sent Jacob to let him know the Pack was coming. But it was ringing now.
“Didn’t even know that thing was still connected…” Randy grumbled. He was cleaning his battle rifle with an old rag.
bleepbleepbleepbleepbleepbleepbleep! Now that was significantly different from a normal telephone sound… the first one had sounded regular. He went to the nearest phone in his apartment and picked it up.
“Hello?”
bleepbleepbleepbleepbleepbleepbleep!
“Dangit, Ditto, this could be important!” He put the phone back down as it morphed into a purple, shapeless blob with eyes and a mouth and gleefully bleepbleepbleep-ed at him. He then picked up his real phone, finding it elsewhere.
“Yeah?”
“Hey, Randy, it’s Edward Oak. Look, can I ask a favor? We just had an interesting… delivery. Of a person. Odd, I know, but we think she’d feel better if she had someone to spend the night with.”
“…” The Oaks had never matured into a full understanding of colloquial idioms. Randy knew he wasn’t even aware of what he had implied.
“Did I say something wrong?”
Randy rolled his eyes. “No, Ed. Go on.”
“It’s Elian Joss, if you know the name. Some nutcase from a few years back teleported her here with a cracked up story about terrorists. We’re in the lab – can I count on you to be there?”
“Sure, Ed. Should I bring my stuff?”
“Hmm. Yeah, bring whatever’s light enough not to trouble you; you know how things get when a pack is on its way. Thanks a bunch, Randy. See you in a bit.”
“No problem.” Randy Sheppy hung up the phone and sighed. Odd story. The university wasn’t more than a few blocks away, though – he could take his motorcycle, and the side car would be useful for any extra stuff he needed.
---
Edward sighed and hung up the phone, staring into space and chuckling to himself. Terrian? Really?
Just a moment ago, Elian had asked where 'Terrian' was. The response had not been reassuring, even when Sigmund did manage to compose himself long enough to shout over the giddy laughter of his brother's haunter. And his brother. And himself.
Incredulous and beaming with amusement, he asked, "Terrian? Alex Terrian? Emo dude with a fancy hat? Oh, that is rich! How did he teleport you? No, no, no, he wouldn't have let you see whatever did it. That guy... hey, Ed, do you think he got the... ha! got the... mm- the mm-" He burst into laughter, unable to complete the sentence as did the other two. Even Charlesworth seemed to be chuckling, in a very respectful, solemn manner.
Once the joviality had had a while to settle, Edward snorted and addressed Elian, his brother still holding his sides and trying to breathe steadily. "Alex... ahem, excuse me; we shouldn't mock him. Alex Terrian was a scientist back when Mom was still alive. He had... oh, he had the craziest theories, after he started talking to her. The mews as gods. The mews as angels. The mews as collectively-conceived hallucinations. Jesus Christ as a mew." Grimstrip burst into a fit of cackling at the last one, and Ed had to cover his mouth with a hand. His cheeks were flushed. "He tried to publish a paper proving - beyond the slightest shadow of a doubt, he claimed - that the mews were the ultimate form of existence, and that the human race could and should be 'guided' to evolve into them, making wild claims about monks reported to have vanished into thin air and how they correlated to UFO sightings and... God knows what he threw in there. Tried to publish it.
"He was laughed out of the research community. Everything else he was working on, even the stuff that made sense, was dismissed. He was totally disenfranchised, and he disappeared. Vanished. We all figured he had committed suicide, and then forgot about it. Not that we wanted him to - he was brilliant." He sobered a little. "Without him, Mom wouldn't have made some of her discoveries. But the guy was a first-class nutcase, and it does not surprise me at all that he sent you here."
He positively glowed while Sigmund stepped in. "So why'd he send you here? Or if you're hungry after that - and some of the recent theories suggest teleportation takes a lot out of you - I can take you to the dining hall and we can talk there. I think they'd be started up by now."
---
Terrian peeked out from between the fingers covering his face as he heard Dr. Andrej Bogdan enter the room. The one eye that was visible rolled up to the older man's face, down to the jolteon, and over to the tyrogue. "Hello, Andrej," he greeted morbidly, raising his arms and stretching with narrowed eyes. "You can't trust me. God, that's starting to sound clichéd."
The young-seeming man swung his legs off the bed and stood up, somewhat reticently. "It's Terrian, if you don't remember - I don't expect you to. Your patient is busy protecting the lives of innocents, while simultaneously being protected. Kind of." His manner had changed to something a bit depressive. The way he held himself had kind of drooped, as though Andrej reminded him of unpleasant experiences. He gave the old professor a brow-beaten look. "What do you want me to do? This is... this is the best I can come up with, I swear." He dropped back down the bed with empty eyes and put a stressed hand to his forehead. "I swear," he whispered to no one.
---
Back in an area between Woodmount and Riverdale, the Reverend Beatitude was flustered. "Well, well I wouldn't say he's bad, necessarily," Beati quickly assured Paul, "but he's certainly misguided." His face had lit up when Paul even made the slightest hint of agreeing to help him, but that happiness cracked and revealed... a kind of frustrated, personal offense that at the same time was perfectly innocent, when the request was made.
"I- well, Mr. McCulloch, I'm sure I don't know the full extent of their modif..." He looked up apprehensively, clearly having said too much. "Oh... oh, I mean, they're... they're important, see. They... the Oaks were not nearly as... as ethical as you may have believed they were, Mr. McCulloch. Certainly not Bea... certainly not the mother. She did things that 'don't exist' anymore, because central governments are gone, now. That woman," he said with a self-righteousness that Moses may have had difficulty challenging, "was a monster. A child-killing creep - a most hideous human being.
"Now I know what you're thinking, Mr. McCulloch. You think I'm making wild accusations, but I've seen the bodies. She thought she hid them well enough, but I've seen the bodies. Little bodies; small children, some as young as six years old..." He was on the verge of tears, almost kneeling as he seemed to see those twisted bodies littered before him on the ground. He wiped his eyes and continued.
"She and Terrian - they're dangerous, Mr. McCulloch, and these poor children are dangerous just by having been associated with them. They're purpose is to unlock a power so great that it will consume the world, but they are misguided." His tone was pleading, and he reached a hand as though reaching across the mine-strewn lawn to try to draw sympathy from another reasonable human being. "Don't let this happen, Mr. McCulloch. I beg you, and I'm running out of time."
---
((More to come later; possibly tonight, but don't count on it. I didn't want to have a more massive column of information at a time than this. And let us all bid a farewell to Lullyn; she has respectfully dropped out *bows* Anyone knowing of someone who might take up her mantle and Talia's character, please let me know by PM. Thank you, Lullyn!))
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Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 9:10 pm
Modif-what? Modifications? It took all the self-control Paul had and more to prevent from demanding more answers - threatening to be uncooperative without more answers - but Paul realized his bargaining chips were few and far between. For now. That was why he would cooperate - to come into posession of these 'modified' children. Why was entirely unclear. He had, however, been twice told that the fate of the world rested in his hands here. That meant that he needed to protect or arrest the children, one way or another. If he did, he had all the power in his hands, and he could force both Terrian and Beatitude to start explaining. Once Paul understood, action could be taken. Most likely, Paul would play along with at least one of them - one might even become an actual ally. If their policy agreed completely with Paul's, which wasn't necessarily true. It would take time to see how they would play out, though.
"Well... these special children apparently need my help or hindrance either way. I'm sorry to hear of the doctor's sins," Paul commented, gauging Beati's reaction. Was he really a religious figure? Would he properly consider the sin and the sinner separate? It didn't sound like it yet. "I hope I can undo these mistakes - but if you want me to arrest the children, then what will happen to them? Terrian wanted me to protect them. I guess you want me to do the same? And how will I get there? Terrian will take me - if I allow him to be fooled into believing I side with him. Is that what you had in mind?"
Now that he agreed, things would take an interesting turn. A very, very interesting turn.
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Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 10:24 pm
Aislin, and Elian, could only stare as the boys (and their pokemon) giggled at her predicament; she was due to be kidnapped, worshipped by a crazed cult, and possibly throw up at any second, and all that she had received for reassurance was giggling? Aislin growled low as she felt Elian’s frustration, as if warning the boys to start acting more serious.
“For being the top minds this world has ever known since the late Oak, they’re quite childish…” Elian thought, her eyes narrowing in frustration as she waited for the boys to finish their giggling fit. Finally, as things started to settle, Elian crossed her arms and waited impatiently for them to catch her up on the joke.
“Mew? The ancient Pokemon?” Elian thought as the name was mentioned. Listening to their story regarding Alex Terrian came across as a bit surprising; Elian hadn’t pegged Alex as a nutcase, he seemed rather normal from what she had time to experience. Once the boys had finished their tale, Elian sighed and slowly pushed herself up from the wheelchair, the last bits of nausea fading from her mind; at the offer of food, however, she almost lost it again.
“No… No food… Thank you.” She quickly spoke, a hand moving over her stomach as she felt it twist. Aislin was now looking at Elian, her tail lightly swishing back and forth as she watched her closely. “As to why he sent me here… He mentioned giving me more time to make a decision.” She started, lacing a hand through her hair to push it from her face as her eyes cast lazily towards the ground, focusing on nothing. “Some... Some group, or cult… The Exterminators? No… Exterminant. They’re supposed to kidnap me.” Elian paused as she listened to herself, unsure if she even believed her own words after what the Oaks had built Terrian up to be. Was he mad? Were there any merits to his words, or was he truly insane?
“He wanted to give me time to think about whether or not I should go with them. He theorized that they’ll be in Riverdale looking for me, then continue their search elsewhere, or just simply preempt his efforts to hide me and locate me here.”
Knowing that this would probably come as something uncomfortable for the boys to hear, she made sure to cast her eyes lower, avoiding any chance of meeting their gaze. Realizing that could be putting more people at risk only made things worse.
“I guess… I’m their Oracle.” Elian finished, blinking her eyes as Aislin turned towards the pair, her eyes locking onto them as Elian found her own gaze focusing on the boys. “I… I don’t know if any of that’s true… But he said that if I go, I can try and learn more about them, and stop them.” Elian hoped that this all made more sense to the Oaks than it did for her. All she really knew, was that she was standing in front of them, in a medical gown, motion sick, and highly confused.
“Life was so simple ten minutes ago. What happened?”
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Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2009 9:26 am
((And for most of the rest of you ^^))
Evening of the first day, near Woodmount...
Mrs. Howard smiled warmly at the young girl and set down her utensils so she could be sure to meet Lexi's eyes. Her voice, though aged and inconsistent, was still strong and reassuring. She and her husband had not been crushed by the Calamity, in any meaning of the word. "Alexis, I'm sure you know a lot by now of the esteemed, late Dr. Beatrice Oak and her work in multiple fields of science. It seems that her sons, Sigmund and Edward (wonderful boys if you ask me, but still boys - irresponsible at best), received a CD from her after her death with some rather enigmatic instructions."
She nodded at the pokéball between Lexi's fingers. "That is one of her creations, and it was sent to me and Allan - again, by Beatrice after her death, something I still am curious to further explore - to be protected, I assume, until you could receive it. Another young person, a boy about your age, is going to be sent here to retrieve it and a disk from the two of us. Your job, Alexis, is to reach him and bring him here to us, safely, without letting..." She grimaced with grandmotherly distaste, and cleared her throat loudly. "Mm-mm-mm-mmm. Without letting Woodmount get word of his arrival."
Allan spoke up. "Billie, I wonder if the girl might want to try out that creature - we can get the pie ready while she does." He nodded at Lexi. "Go on, if you're finished; I know how exciting it is to have a new pet. I remember when my mother gave me a weedle, I thought it was the neatest-"
"Honey, pick up the plates, would you?" Billie said with a huff. It was not a request, but this seemed to be the norm in the household. She smiled at the girl. "Go on out. Can't guarantee she can use electricity, yet, but that will come with time." The old couple started cleaning up, Allan shooting occasional, questioning glances at his wife until she harrumphed and left the room with a purpose.
---
The reverend smiled graciously and nodded when Paul had finished speaking. "We will educate them, of course, Mr. McCulloch. Protect them until I can find you; bring them back here, if you would like. You can contact me whenever you wish, with this." He drew what seemed to be a business card from his cloak and held it between his fingers. One side was black - the other, white. "Apply any quantity of ether, and it will alert me of your successful return."
He laid it on the ground. "I do expect that the most reliable way to ensure you reach the children is to allow Dr. Terrian to arrange for your transport. The children's names are Juno Galladeigh, Talia Horsley, and Gerard Waverly; they may be escorted, but they may also be alone. Whatever the case, it will not be a large group; identification should be a simple matter."
The old man swept a low bow from his distance and met Paul's eyes again. "And now, I must go. Fare well, Paul McCulloch; I wish you success on your mission." He turned his back, then, and walked away into the failing light, towards Riverdale.
---
Afternoon of the second day, near Cliffshire...
“Ulysses! Hey! You old geezer! Get out here!” a cracked voice cried out. Ulysses Shonevsky looked around from the front porch of his home and tried to identify the source of the noise. He had just barely stepped out on his journey; who could be here alone, three miles south of Cliffshire? Surely he was lost. Gloria, his ninetales, perked her ears up and growled briefly.
No more than fifty feet from the house, a bedraggled man in torn clothing, holding a pistol out at his target, was stumbling closer and closer. He seemed drunk or wounded, but crazed was more likely – the look in his eyes was unmistakably maddened. His hair was long and disheveled and his frame was sunken in from hunger, but even so, there was something familiar about him... Ulysses had seen this man before. Perhaps it had been in the labs.
Not too long ago, Ulysses had received a strange package from his old colleague, Professor Beatrice Oak, warning that there may be people attempting to steal it from him. It had also contained news of her death, but that had seemed of secondary importance to the writer. Five items had also come with it: a pokéball, an anklet described in the letter, a USB drive, and two black roses.
“Come on, you old ******!” the man screamed. The sound was an ugly taint on what had started as a pleasant morning. “Come on down! I won’t shoot! I won’t, I swear!” As he stumbled again on the uphill slope to the wooden home, set well away from Cliffshire to the south, his ripped jacket flapped out to reveal a belt holding three pokéballs, dirtied, dented, but lit to indicate they were active.
---
The old man smiled kindly. "You are truly a good lad; I am glad I found you. I am too old to do what must be done with that little piglet. He seems fond of you, anyway. I have yet to name him, by the way.
"What I'd like you to do, Jacob, is find a young person much like yourself who may be on his or her way to Cliffshire. That person is your first true battle on the way to bringing the world once more into the light. It will not be an easy battle, but I believe you are capable." He extracted a card from within his cloak. One side was black; the other, silver. He handed it to Jacob. "Once you have won, place this card on the opponent's pokémon with the silver side down. When you apply any amount of ether to the card, it will alert me to your success, and I will be able to tell you more of your quest. Are you ready?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2009 11:12 am
Paul stared where the Reverend had just stood. Second thoughts crept in immediately. His place was here - it always had been, it always would be - this was his home, he had seen it built, he had helped build it, he had made it strong, he had fortified it - he was leaving it to people who didn't understand what it meant to him, who might abandon it if they felt they might lose a battle - Paul would have to reclaim whatever was left, start stockpiling weapons and ammo all over again - no. No. Terrian had said he could protect it, and Terrian was not a normal person. That meant that Paul needed to keep Terrian fooled as long as possible. That couldn't be overly difficult. As long as Paul kept traveling with the children... and tried to prevent the Reverend from just taking them away... Paul could fulfill both goals. At least until he confronted them both. He would have to to get a consistent story - a proper explanation. They would balance each other, and Paul could get an idea of the truth.
For the meantime, it was time to prepare, and probably take the last shower he would get the chance to take in a while. His pack was full of everything he could figure he would need - there was water, portable food, clothing, face paint, ammo, money, and some miscellaneous odds and ends. Now it was time to decide which of his knives to bring. Probably the butterfly, if for no other reason it would provide entertainment. And the KaBar. That one was a solid choice. The question was would he want a machete or something heavier than a knife? He doubted it - if he couldn't do it with a gun, around here he couldn't do it at all. If there was undergrowth, he would burn it down.
With nothing more to do, Paul marched upstairs, set the appropriate alarms, left Zoidberg awake, and fell asleep.
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