LETHAL VECTOR - 1. 1ast flight to Hoenn
I DON'T own Pokémon (well, I have a few of the games). I DO own Lethal Vector. I DO own my characters (and if you steal them without asking I will hunt you down and yell at you in BOLD/ITALIC caps lock JUST LIKE THIIIIIIIS! See how scary it is? Beware...). "Telepathy." Or emphasis. Character thought. SUPA-EMPHASIS! Or if I'm yelling at you for plagiarism... There are a group of select people whom are known to few. They are called Vectors, and they are dangerous. Six doesn't exist. He never has, and likely never will. His birth went unrecorded, his parents were never identified. He spent his entire childhood being trained as a Vector. At the age of eighteen, he became one. He became the best. Three years down the track and a thousand of victims later, he's done something bad... something really bad... All his life, his targets' deaths had little global effect, except to "better the world in the long run" as he was told. Somewhat important people whose deaths would have no noticeable, immediate effect on the world. That is - until his very last job... Shit hit the fan. Elise has always existed - whether the Unovans like it or not. They gave her things to appease her. They thought that if they kept her happy, she wouldn't dig too deep into her past. She did - and now the Unovans aren't happy... They really aren't happy... In fact - now they need her dead. After Elise finds Six unconscious on the side of a winding mountain road with nothing but the clothes on his back, a mystery Pokémon egg, thousands of dollars in cash and a dozen fake passports, they're both stuck together in the middle of a civil war, and each hunted by their own separate groups of bounty hunters and assassins. But maybe... maybe they can help each other out... Pokémon. Deceit. Conspiracy. Deception. Assassins. Lies. Betrayal. Assassins. Bounty hunters. Vengeance. Secrets. Shadow-Triad. Lucarios. Snipers. Aura. WMDs. Hunts. Killing. Identity. Mystery. GRUE! Vectors... Lethal vectors.
"I gave everything to my country... and she betrayed me... I was the greatest patriot. I gave up my soul for my land. I gave up the best of my life to keep them safe... and they stabbed me in the back..." [////////// LETHAL VECTOR \\] [ 1: 1ast flight to Hoenn]
Somewhere over Hoenn "Ladies and gentlemen- I'd like to be the first to welcome you to the Hoenn region." A chorus of joy and excitement rose from the passengers, accompanied shortly by the ring of champagne flutes toasting. There was a little talk, bubbling enthusiastically and seemingly without care in the world. The fervour settled again as the novelty soon wore off, and the occupants simmered back down to their general "flight banter" again. In one corner of the plane, three men and a woman had set themselves up comfortably in a huge leather booth, flanked by Lucario on either side. Each of the humans sported military uniforms- all of them high-ranking judging by the walls of gleaming medals decorating each's breast. At the table in front of them, a pale bubble clung to the mouth of a champagne bottle. The second opened of two- the first empty and lying on its side adjacent, on the floor. The four of them chuckled in unison, extending the pleasantries a little further with another round of toasts between their private sect. "I can't believe I ever doubted you, Colonel." The woman laughed. She snorted a little, stopping suddenly, but revived with a spontaneous outburst of laughter, catching with the other three also. "I can't believe it either." The man in the middle - the one taking the most leg room for himself - laughed. "I told you I would get there in the end." "You sir -" The man next to him raised the will to speak. "- you sir - I tip my hat to you." He lifted a hand to his balding forehead. He paused for a moment, touching his scalp questioningly, before exploding into laughter. "I'm not wearing a hat!" He roared, slapping his knee. "He's a rather inept drinker." The colonel evaluated to the silent man. The silent man nodded, feigning a meagre grin, feeling a little uncomfortable. Looking about the plane's interior - it seemed he was the only one feeling so. After all - he was the only one who was doing any speaking. "What's wrong, boy?" The colonel alerted him with a hearty slap on the back, chuckling again. "You're too uptight!" "I not allowed drink, colonel." The man smiled apologetically. "I have to be at full mental capacity. Somebody has to coordinate the conference." "Good boy." The colonel laughed. "We'll get you some... fuck, what do kids drink these days? COLA! HEY! Get the boy some cola!" He called over his shoulder. The curtain at the back of the room didn't budge. Nobody emerged, nobody parted the folds and stepped into the room with any cola. For a moment following the colonel's order- nobody did anything, and the cabin noise muted. "Hey!" The colonel roared, beating his knee with his fist. "COLA! Now!" Behind the curtain, a man glanced over his shoulder. His sharp eyes fixed on the curtain with a grunt as he scuffed a boot on the carpet. A smear of red appeared where he removed his foot from that patch, matting the carpet. He shrugged a little, wriggling the straps of his parachute, checking it once more. He stepped casually over the bloody body of the air hostess, stepped out through the curtain. The colonel lurched halfway out of his seat as the man emerged. "About bloody-damn time!" He shouted. The man glanced at him, and stopped just outside the curtain, cocking his head. The cabin's quiet chatter died immediately. It didn't settle, or calm, or quieten - it fell totally dead in a second. Silence consumed all, the air growing thick with sweat and fear, backed by the mechanical hum of jet engines whirring outside. "Arceus..." "Tha- no... no way..." "Oh, fuck..." The colonel gawked. He was so stunned that it took a moment of staring for his mind to jerk back into gear and recognise the man staring at him. "Henry..." The woman beside him whispered as she tugged his sleeve with a tremendous sinking feeling. "Who is that?" "I'm nobody." The man said to her. She jerked away a bit, surprised by his earshot. The man strode a few steps more into the room. His arms swayed slightly at his sides, hanging like pendulums. At the other end, a Gallade leapt to his feet, making a step forward. "Don't!" The Pokémon stopped and gawked at the colonel, and the hand halting him. "You won't get far. Settle down!" "Gall- Gallade!" The Pokémon protested, his face falling in shock. His fists clenched as his eyes narrowed on the man ahead. Loyalty and honour blinded his common sense. Common sense knew who this was. "Sir- we have to take him out!" The colonel's Lucario tightened his fists, staring intently at the newcomer with a certain fearful hatred. Similar story. Loyalty, pride and honour acted as a shroud, blotting the light of common sense. He stepped forwards with a growl, barely restraining himself and ready to leap at the first movement. "You know what he does!" "Tell your attack dog to heel," The man added calmly. His teeth purposely flashed in the direction of the Lucario, provoking it further. "Or I'll put him down." For a Pokémon of pride and honour- that pushed it way too far. The Lucario attacked with a feral growl, raising a fist and diving for the man with fabled speed. He barely even made a single fabled step. Before his foot even touched the ground, a quiet hum cut the air. His face froze with an indiscernible wet sound, and tiny flash of blood splashed from his temple as a line of azure shone for a brief moment. He collapsed immediately, his death illustrated by a colourful chorus of screams as he hit the floor. Dead. Sinnoh region. Top of Mt Coronet. 1,000 km away A Lucario lowered his arm, the blue glow fading from his eyes. Behind him, another seven similar held their arms too outstretched. Both arms outstretched, one digit on each pointing away into the distance. They all stood perfectly still, their sole animation being their aura receptors bobbing slightly in the chilling wind. "Another one bites the dust." The first commented with a slight grin, raising his arms again and rekindling his aura vision, realigning his focus. "Kinda sad when we kill one of us." Another behind him added resignedly. "Such a waste of good potential." On da plane "Anyone else want to try anything smart?" The man suggested, glancing about. The passengers huddled back against the walls, shaking their heads quickly as fear and confusion rendered them helpless. "Good." "Six..." The man glanced at another military personnel in the opposite corner. He sat calmly, composed still. He had too- being composed was his job. He sat on the edge of his seat, assuming as much control as he could muster over his terrified crew. "What do you want, Six?" "I don't want anything." The man began towards the cockpit, striding calmly. It was the stride of unmatched confidence. The stride of an invincible man. "There has to be a reason you're here." The man maintained, crossing his arms. He licked his lips briefly as he felt them crack a little, as if dried by the man's presence. He still chanced it: "Is this about your father?" "I don't need to know who he is." Six shook his head, keeping his focus on the door ahead. "I just want you all to die." He bowed his head, and took a deep breath. "Do it." He ordered, throwing the words out through his mind for anyone listening to it. He kept walking as the room behind him exploded for a moment. A few sharp, short screams sounded momentarily, but were silenced as more flashes of blue light shredded through the plane, punching tiny holes in the exterior and through the heads of every member in the plane. Blood rained, splashing from near-simultaneous fatal wounds as man and woman alike fell to the barrage. Every one took a perfect headshot, killing them all instantly within the time frame of half a second. Fourteen humans and three Pokémon dead in half a second. Blood splattered in tiny amounts on the pure white carpet, and oozed about the wounds of the dead passengers where it matted the floor. He proceeded to the pilot's door and stopped at it. On his silent command, a faint pair of cracks sounded from the other side. Two more kills. He left the door be and moved towards the exit. He turned sideways a little as three focus blasts fired through the hinges and lock, avoiding them by centimetres. The door ripped itself free with a gush of wind- and in a second Six followed. He spread his arms as he flew out into space, and began his free-fall descent without as much as a budge in his perpetual indifference. Three... two... he counted in his head, running the time through his internal stopwatch at exact precision. One. A fusillade of azure aura spheres hit. They each sparked up in turn, detonating blue with colossal force as a few dozen of them rhythmically crashed into the jet's engines. The engines blew quickly- exploding in a very different fireball of orange and littering parts through the air. Six made a flip as he fell, searching about quickly. A squawk nearby caught his attention, and he turned to find a Fearow swooping downwards, parallel to his descent. The Pokémon rose a wary eye to glance at him, scrutinising for a second as they fell as similar speeds alongside, then turned its body and flared its wings. Six wrapped his arms awkwardly around the Pokémon's neck as it approached, and righted himself to face its direction. It quickly tilted its wings back, swooping down and levelling out as it neared the ground. Six lay flat on its back as his momentum still tugged him down, but the Pokémon's lift was sufficient to support his weight. It beat its wings steadily, re-establishing a rhythm, and began towards the horizon. "That's it." A voice called through his mind- resonating from within. Six mumbled, and nodded. "That's all I wanted." "No more favours, deathmark." The voice replied sternly. "We owed you one. That one is repaid. If we see you again, we will be sure to kill you." "Fair enough." Six replied, nodding as he gazed distantly into the setting sun. "Six- out." Two months later Six wore a backpack without markings or a logo. His shoes and clothing were the same story- no distinct pattern to their blandness and neutral colours. He was one of those background people- one of those people who didn't really mean anything to anybody who passed. He was nobody's concern. Not the weak, scrawny prey which criminals targeted. Not the tough, intimidating guy that cops pulled over to investigate. He was just that guy who was otherwise unremarkable... Otherwise, save for the speckled orb held cradled awkwardly in his arms. Creamy white covering nearly all over, save three green splotches seemingly at random about it. It was - an egg. He clung the thing to his body as the frigid mountain gust climbed from the valley falling just to his right and rolled icily across the pavement, only to fall to a stale stop where the mountain on the other side of the road rose up and out, forming a rocky overhang as shelter from the rain. The canyon whistled animatedly as the winds dipped in and out of its depths, playing a higher note than the spaced beats of thunder rocking the grey skies. His coat shivered a bit as another gust consumed him, but his pace didn't slow. He clung close to the guard rail on his right. Off the road in case of any incoming vehicle. He had already passed two in the last hour - the place had more traffic than he had assumed. The first had been an APC. Green and grey, both in dull shades. The second was a Humvee. Similar paintjob. At the top, a foolhardy soldier braved the cold, sitting on the rim of the entrance hatch and smoking a cigarette. The odd thing about him, however, was that apart from his head, his entire body was encased in turquoise wrapping. Thin tendrils wrapping around his torso and arms. He raised a mummified hand briefly as they passed, waving shortly, then they too disappeared to the south. Six's head fell with a sigh. His chin rested on the top of the cold egg. He wasn't even sure if it was still alive by this point. Eggs were naturally warm - this one wasn't. "Looks like we're going to die together." Six sighed, a confusing rise of relief engulfing him. He turned out to the mountainous vista on his right as he walked, taking in the sight yet again. The valley climbed from its greatest depths and rose as a great mountainous range, splitting the heavens with their mighty glazed peaks. He was closed in by the ranges on either side. "Looks like Mount Coronet's our grave, huh?" He grunted a little and inspected the view from another angle. "It's a pretty nice place to die, I'd say," he glanced to the sky, "Huh, Arceus?" The skies roared in answer, casting a momentous boom through the dead centre of the valley as a crack of lightning flashed about the apexes above. "I thought so..." He nodded readily, and turned his focus back to the road. "Everything up until now... it's all been coincidence, then?" He asked wearily, accepting what was coming. "All chance. All simple luck..." again, he turned to the skies. "You don't want me, do you?" Boom. "No..." He agreed. He licked his chilled lips, smearing them with a layer of brief, meagre warmth. His entire body was numb- he couldn't feel anything anymore. His legs ached and his weak arms felt even deader with the tremendous weight of the egg. The weight of his burden. "I should have never picked you up..." He sighed. He stopped walking, and stared at the egg. "I should have left you - now I've condemned you to death." He turned and fell backwards. His legs buckled, and his head struck the guardrail behind him. He ignored the pain, and collapsed against it as he lost strength. "So... this is the end..." He said. He closed his eyes and relaxed. He gave his body to the chilling wind, and died into the light which had beckoned him for so long... 1 hour later A blue figure dashed around the bend to the north, charging at furious speed. Its paws slapped quietly against the pavement in an impossibly fast rhythm as it sprinted. It rounded the next bend, and eased to a stop suddenly. Her aura receptors flicked behind her head as her eyes darted about, scanning the scene. Her nose twitched as she scented the air. "(Six...)" She growled as her eyes grew blue. She scanned the pavement, quickly sifting through the myriad of aura signatures painting the road. She spotted the one she was looking for. A trail of footsteps leading to the guard rail, becoming shorter and more staggered as it neared, then a patch of aura on and at the foot of the guard rail. She slowly began towards it, all the while staring at a set of parallel tire marks immediately adjacent. Two darker patches on the pavement where a vehicle had stopped, then taken off again. She knelt beside the patch and placed a paw on it, closing her eyes. The residual aura sparkled and tingled to her touch, reacting in a unique pattern. The same pattern she felt from the guard rail, and the footsteps. "(Six...)" She growled again and stood up, glancing to the south. "(When I find you...)" She started south with a sudden burst of energy, seething furiously. "(YOU'RE DEAD!)"
"Damn..." Six moaned and propped himself up on an elbow, rubbing his aching head. The floor beneath him was soft, yet firm. "Where am I?" He half-threw himself upright, finding himself in the back seat of a vehicle. Judging by the lack of tint and the practical interior, a civilian vehicle. "You are lucky I came across you along when I did." The voice was distinctly female. Six couldn't see her properly with a haze of weariness blurring his vision, but he gained enough of his wits to at least sit upright and look ahead. "You almost froze out there. You are lucky." "Some would call it that." He replied to his invisible driver as he rubbed his eyes on a sleeve. "I let fate guide me." "And fate has guided you here, has it?" He looked up. A pair of emerald eyes appeared in the mirror ahead. Sharp and defined. Rather attractive eyes set in a fair skin tone. A lock of offset, jade hair was caught just hanging over one eye. On the other side, a pair of silver pits met the woman's gaze. Ice looking and empty, nearly indistinguishable from the whites of his eyes. A rare genetic inheritance, seemingly. "Looks like it." Six nodded, but watched her face carefully as he spoke. "Peculiar." She commented. Her eyes never left the road, as if she weren't curious of her pick-up. "You are an interesting man. Where are you headed?" "Jubilife." He stated as he shuffled across to the window and peered out. "Jubilife city." "Staying on the west, I see?" The woman nodded. "A smart move. The west is where the favour lies." "The Hoenneise are backing the west Sinnohvians. That's why." Six replied calmly. "The Honneise are most of the force behind the west." "True." The woman nodded. That was true. The Hoenneise had been suspiciously quick to put their hand up and volunteer their troops to back the west, so she had heard. "Well, my unknown companion. I will admit - you have piqued my curiosity. What is your story?" "What makes you think I have a story?" Six asked suspiciously. The eyes in the mirror lifted to meet his in their reflection. Their irises were remarkably intense. A pure, beautiful green which glimmered. They shone with a certain distorted glance of light, as if tainting it with their own little glow as the light left them. "We all have a story, don't we?" She asked. She still watched Six. Her lithe fingers rested gingerly on the wheel, twirling it gently and easing the vehicle around the next bend without even watching the road. A tremendous display of nerve at the speed they were travelling at. "Even the lowly butcher has a story. Every cut on his skin, a close shave. Every missing finger, a painful memoir of all the things he now cannot do. Every walk to the store is a journey. We all have them. What is yours?" "Do you have to know everything about me?" Six leaned a shoulder on the window, blotting their line-of-sight with the woman's headrest. "I'm nobody." "I disagree." She pressed. Six's brow furrowed at her persistence, but he cleared it quickly enough with a sigh. He had more to worry about than this woman. "A man passed out on a deserted road in the middle of winter in one thing, when he carries nothing but a Pokémon egg? There is a story behind that, I assume?" "I did something bad." He moved upright again, returning eye contact. His own icy eyes shimmered this time, boring into the driver's. "I did something really bad." "I see." The woman surrendered and returned her gaze to the road ahead. She couldn't compete with that kind of stare. "I'm much more interested in you." Six took the offensive. He leaned between the front seats with a meagre smirk and looked the woman up and down. A red coat, firstly. Underneath the definite contours of her physique were wrapped in tight navy-blue, clinging snugly to her skin from neck to waist. Then a crisp, similarly blue pair of cargo trousers dressed her to the foot. Red sneakers, laced with black and keeping with the colour scheme. "You're interesting. What's a Unovan doing in Sinnoh?" The woman's shoulders immediately hunched. Not significantly, but Six specifically noted how they huddled just a little closer to her body in a moment of nervousness. Six smirked a bit wider at her reaction, and went on. "Unovan accents. You just can't quite cover them up. We all know Unova's bloody hot. Unovans don't come to Sinnoh in the middle of winter. And why would a foreigner be in Sinnoh in the middle of a civil war? That's curious..." "We all have our reasons." She replied. Her voice came levelly... but not quite. Six noted a fraction of a shake on her first word, but she had quickly corrected herself. She was good. "And your articulation is immaculate." He pressed. "Your "r"s don't roll onto the next word, you pronounce your "o"s carefully. Its excellent. Then there's your ranger outfit." He noted. "There is no ranger badge on it, but it's the uniform. I haven't seen a plain red jacket in months - it's all red and white trim now. That's the style these days." "That's rather impolite of you." She retorted irritably. For such a seemingly collected woman, Six noticed she was becoming aggravated quickly. "Questioning me in my own car." "I doubt it." He remarked, glancing at a red and blue backpack filled to bursting point and sitting on the passenger seat. "All your possessions are packed up in that bag. It's difficult to remove things from a packed bag like that. It would be easier to leave them on the back seat or in the boot - but you need to make a quick getaway if you need to, don't you? You don't feel comfortable leaving things around in this car. That's because it's not your car." "Just who the hell are you?" She finally snapped and stared at him. Her composure broke away, and her flowing speech retreated to common tongue. "I'm nobody." He smiled and sat back in his seat. Not an amused smirk as before, but rather a smile of satisfaction and victory. "You sure know a lot about me for someone claiming to be "nobody"..." She returned to the road, but shakily. Who was he? How much did he know? Did he know who she was? It all spun through the woman's head in a panicked blur. Her eyes nervously bounced from the road to the mirror as she felt a bead of sweat roll from her brow. She glanced down at her waist for a moment, re-checking for the bulge of a few pokéballs under her jacket, then looked back to the road with a relieved breath. Just in case... "You're worried I've come to hurt you, huh?" Six sighed and glanced out a window. Still mountains. Still enclosed. Same scene. "I haven't. I have no idea who you are, and I don't care either way, as long as you keep driving." "Very well..." The woman nodded distantly, but still watched him in her mirror. She had found him nearly dead just over an hour ago. No Pokémon, nothing dangerous, no communication devices. Just him, a backpack full of cash, and that egg... What reason should she have to be afraid? "Why did you pick me up?" "Pardon?" She glanced quickly over her shoulder. Six sat forwards a bit. His hands rested idly in his lap and his legs were spread comfortably. No seat belt. The woman made a few observations of her own, judging his posture. "I said: Why did you pick me up? You're paranoid about something, but you're willing to pick up a random stranger off the road? Why?" "Well, you weren't going to last very long out there in the cold, where you?" She waited with bated breath for his answer, as if it might reveal something of his intentions or origin or something vital. "No." He said. "I guess not. Thanks." He didn't believe it for a second. "No problem." A wispy smile tugged at her lips. It seemed the person in her back seat might just be a normal person after all. A slightly odd normal person, maybe, but her paranoia gently rested itself again. "Marcus." He said after a few minutes of staring at the scenery. "That's my name." "Good to have a name to pin to your face." She replied. She dreaded the awkward silence that she knew would ensue if she didn't play the conversation through. "You picked me up. I owe you that much." Six nodded, trying to remember the surname he had associated to "Marcus". His head stopped at the top of his nod. It froze spontaneously, and held perfectly still. His eyes eased shut and he turned his head a bit, scenting the air. "Fire..." He whispered. "What fire?" "There's a fire ahead." He leaned forwards as close to the front window as he could get, shoulders resting on either front seat. "Something burning. Just around the corner." The woman flashed him a quick glance as she thought she saw something. His eyes... she could have sworn they flashed blue... "Three dead men." His voice chilled the air, flowing in perfect flatness. "One dead Tangela. One dead Lucario. Four more pokéballs. All compromised - occupants still alive, but barely. No medical centre close enough to save them. They're as good as dead." He paused, evaluating briefly on his own. "Faster." "What?" The woman's head shook dizzily, the flow of sudden information still registering with her. What the hell was he on about? "Drive faster!" The woman slammed the accelerator without thinking, lurching ahead suddenly. "Two corners, then stop!" Six ordered as they slid around the next bend, losing a little traction as the tail swung outwards. She weaved inwards, towards the mountain wall, outwards, along the edge of the cliff... she slammed the brakes at the next one. "Oh... god..." "Open my door." Six quickly shuffled towards his door as the woman stared back at him. "You can open it!" She called as she threw her own door open. "No, I can't!" Six yelled back. The woman paused in mid-step for the wreckage, and spun around. "Open my door! Six's head banged on the window as he yelled. The woman dashed to the door and ripped it open. Six leapt from the interior and shot from the vehicle with amazing speed. He leapt around the edge of the door, and charged for the upturned vehicle. He skidded to a halt beside the blown-off driver door, and knelt beside a charred pile. "These guys passed me..." He shook his head slowly. The woman approached behind him, checking over his shoulder. The upturned Humvee smoked and crackled as tongues of flame rose from the engine, consuming the entire front half of the vehicle in the blaze. The occupants lay scattered about the site, little more than charred, deformed piles of seared flesh. The woman knelt beside another man, placing a finger on the black tendril trailing from his lifeless arm. "A weedsuit..." She shook her head slowly as she stood, stifling a tear. The Tangela's charred vines had crumbled onto the man wrapped in them, apparently so safe in his natural armour suit. "The weedsuit caught." Six approached the woman from behind, he too observing the second thoughtfully. "The vines caught fire and cooked him alive. Never had a chance - he was tied up in it." "Arceus..." The woman stood shakily. Her legs nearly gave out as she righted herself, but she caught herself in her stumble and righted her balance. "Something has to be done about this..." She sniffed and turned to Six. "To think, two months ago everybody was friendly." "Don't remind me..." Six fell a little silent as his head hung. Two months of war. It hadn't even been that, and it had already escalated to such chaos... "Patriotism..." he whispered. "Can we be patriots in a war like this?" The woman glanced over her shoulder at him. She blinked in confusion, and turned slowly to him. Something rubbed off on her. There was just something about the way he stood... the sheer withdrawal of his stance spoke to her somehow. Spurred by an odd and sudden urge, she made a step toward him. She was unable to help herself. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and lowered her own head in unison. "It is confusing, isn't it?" She whispered. Her breath released wearily, merging with the frigid air and drifting away into space. "When being a patriot means killing your own countrymen... but sometimes it needs to be done. Otherwise, nothing is going to end." She looked up at him, mustering her confidence. "It seems it takes the blood of a million to wash away that which blinds us." "It is a confusing feeling..." Six nodded. "I... I'm sorry. I don't feel too good right now..." He shied away from her hand and moved back towards the car. He placed himself in the back seat and pulled the door shut, hooking his foot around the edge and closing it. The woman watched him curiously, still standing in the freezing wind. So far he had been alright. A little nosy, a little shady, but he seemed friendly enough for the moment. She turned away from the car a little, making it seem she was glancing at the Humvee. She discretely slipped a hand into a pocket, and slid free a scrap of paper, folded countless times into a messy square. She unwrapped the folds quickly, placing herself between the paper and Six, obscuring his sight. As far as wanted posters went, this was the least descriptive she had ever seen. The "name" section was empty, the "age" section was an approximation of about twenty, the height too was an approximation. The picture was blurred. One seemingly ordinary man in a crowd, circled in red marker. It was a bit blurred and the picture was from a bad angle, but it was him. It was definitely Marcus. The only other piece of exact information on the page, was right up the top in huge numerals. "$142,333,333". "Reward" in smaller letters underneath. Beside this, a small symbol indicating the involvement of West Sinnoh military. One-hundred-and-forty million dollars... She thought. She shook her head, and glanced over her shoulder. Six sat slumped in the back seat. His mouth moved silently, speaking to himself and staring at the seat in front of him. The woman turned her attention back to the paper. This guy's worth one-hundred-and-forty million dollars? Why? What does he know? She refolded the paper and slipped it into the same pocket. She then reached into her opposite pocket, and withdrew a second, smaller piece. She unfolded it to find herself facing a similar notice, but a slightly smaller reward and the symbol of the east Sinnoh military. Both the country's military groups had huge bounties on Marcus... and she couldn't understand why. She pocketed that note too and headed back to the vehicle. She hopped into the driver's seat and pulled her door shut gladly, shutting off the freezing chill of outside. "Are you alright?" She asked over her seat. Six's head hung and his fingers lay limp in his lap. They didn't even budge, as if they were paralyzed. "I'm fine." He sighed - moving on, and sat upright again. "Just a sensitive spot for me. I'm past it." "Who are you, Marcus?" Six's head jerked up a bit as he heard his name. "I'm nobody." He repeated uniformly. Same as he had previously. "Of course you are somebody." The woman grunted. "Who are you?" "Who are you?" Six rebutted. He leaned back in his seat and inclined his head. "I've given you a name, now you give me yours." The woman's brow furrowed, but she nodded. "Elise." She answered finally. "And you're somebody." Six added. "Me - I'm nobody. I don't exist." "You are right in front of me." Elise directed him a stern glare. "I am quite sure that you exist." "In political correctness - I don't." Six shook his head as he spoke. "But, in reality, yes. I do exist. I just don't have a name. I have no name, no family, I don't exist within society. I'm just... a body. A body without a name." Elise started the ignition as she listened, throwing the can into gear with a slow nod. "So... what is your job then? I doubt you were simply given all of that money for nothing." "I don't talk about my job." Six stared out the window as they rolled forwards- effectively ending the conversation with the following silence. His head jerked after a second as things registered with him. "You looked in my bag." "I picked you up." Elise mentioned irritably, suddenly turned a bit by Six's sudden hostility. "Yes, I checked your baggage. I thought it would tell me who you were. I believe it is my right to know who I pick up from the side of a deserted road." She paused for a moment, smiling as she gained the upper hand. "I thought I could find a name. I didn't think I'd find this many." Her free hand appeared over her shoulder, holding a deck of passports two-inches thick. "Your rights are nothing." Six snorted, but he still watched out the window as he continued. He scowled a little, staring at the passports out of the corner of his eyes and knowing he couldn't get them. So close, but so far. "The region has dissolved into chaos. Rights, laws, they're all worthless. Nobody cares about civvies - civvies live in anarchy for the moment." "You don't have to get shitty with me." Elise muttered, seemingly to herself. So of course she was surprised when Six responded: "You're a little bi-polar." He mentioned, making her jump. "In situations where you have the upper hand, you speak with few contractions and abbreviations. Likely how you were raised. When you feel threatened, you resort to common speech to repel the attacker, so to speak. Common speech is much sharper, and when you just burst out with it like that after being so high-strung, it causes a lot of shock, which you use to your advantage." An awkward silence ensued after Six stopped. He turned his eyes off the scenery and to the mirror, confronting Elise and almost daring her to reply. A ghost of a smile highlighted his pale face, barely breaking his lips. "It's an effective tool." She didn't argue. Whoever Marcus - or Mark, or Terrance, or whatever his name was - he picked up on things quickly. "How do you know that?" "I see things. I hear things." He shrugged complacently. "I'm very good at seeing and hearing things." "I can see that." "So who are you running from?" Six leaned forwards again. Elise noticed he didn't wear a seatbelt still. "I'm not running from anyone." She shrugged. "You used a contraction." Six mentioned. Elise swore inwardly. "You're defensive. Who are you running from?" "I'm entitled to my own secrets. Just as you are." "Fair enough." Six sat back in his seat. "Where are you going?" "I haven't made my mind yet." She sighed and glanced down at the staring wheel briefly, using the blank centre to focus on for a moment. "Unova's keeping out of this war." Six continued still, for whatever reason still insistent on talking. "They won't come anywhere near Sinnoh for the moment, so you're probably safe anywhere about." "Safe?" Elise smirked a little. "Tell me - what part of driving along a cliffside road at six PM is safe? Especially when that road runs the border of two warring factions? Two warring factions who constantly flaunt this border launching hit-and-run attacks on the other's territory?" Six shucked a bit at this, and nodded. "Hey - if you put it that way, nowhere's safe." "Right." Elise nodded in return, keeping the conversation flowing. "There are all kinds of tiny wars to be found. Everywhere there's a war of some magnitude. One party who wants one, another party who wants another." "So I guess you're open to any suggestions of direction?" Six went on hopefully. "I suppose." Elise shrugged. "So, Jubilife, was it?" "Jubilife." Six nodded. "Well - for the moment, any location will do, as long as it isn't the way I came." "You are running from your own past, I see?" "Yeah. " Six glanced out the window behind him. "Running from my past. Not sure if I should still be running... it's a difficult decision, but I'll keep running until I'm caught. Then I'll welcome whatever may come." "What kind of past is this?" Elise pushed a little further, hoping for something interesting. Something to explain all her questions. "What are you running from?" "An assassin." Elise's blood froze on Six's last syllable. "Is that enough motivation to keep you driving?" "You're being hunted, huh?" She managed to keep her voice level through tremendous effort. "Yeah. An assassin. A professional tracker and sniper." "Whoa... that's rough." The car hummed quietly with the whirring of tyres on tarmac. Their silence dragged longer than their previous silences. Elise was beginning to think this wasn't her smartest move... picking up a random stranger she knew was dangerous. "It isn't an easy life." Six yawned, and fell across his seat. "Hey - I'm going to have a quick one. Promise you won't assassinate me while I sleep?" "I'm sorry?" Elise smirked a fraction. "Just don't kill me, okay?" Six yawned again, and rested his head on the seat. "Only just survived freezing, I'd like at least a day to live before I die..."
A quiet man stood back, arms crossed and observing his Pokémon. A Mightyena sniffed along the ground, pacing after an invisible trail and towards the smoking Humvee. Its nose flared a little and it swung right a bit, trailing towards a charred corpse next to the vehicle. He recoiled a little from the body, letting a short growl slip between his teeth. "Might!" He barked over his shoulder at the man. "Mightyena!" "Good boy..." The man strode forwards. His smirk was hidden from sight; covered by a skull-pattern bandana making his lower face. The faint gleam of fire caught in his dark shades as he bent to one knee and inspected the body too. "I found you..." He glanced up, and toward the south. "Found yourself a ride, huh? That's no problem..." He stood and strode back towards his own vehicle. A silver-painted custom chopper leaned against the guard rail. A writhing mass of Ekanses and Arboks decorated the fuel tank, with their tails entwining and flowing toward the exhaust. He returned his Pokémon and swung a leg over the seat, saddling it and taking the handlebars. "You don't escape a snake..." He grinned sardonically and gunned the engine, firing the exhausts as he leaned back. He slammed the chopper into gear and surged forwards, drifting to the centre line of the road, and quickly disappearing around the next bend. 1 hour, thirty-five minutes later Elise glanced over her shoulder one last time as she rolled slowly towards the driveway ahead. Six's head rested against the right rear window, and his eyes were shut. As far as she could tell, he was asleep. There was something unidentifiable about him... something which captured her fascination like nothing before. His haircut was odd, to begin with. A glossy hazel colour, shining a little more than most men's hair would. It was a little on the long side for a man, except the fringe; trimmed back a bit and away from his eyes. His piercing, silver eyes... His entire image said "vague". Save his eyes, everything was plain on the outside, yet judging by what Elise had seen, there was something significantly wrong on the inside. Either that, or something significantly right - depending on how she looked at the matter. She eased the car up the gentle slope into a car park, and brought it around into an empty park on the right. At the end of the park, a log building abruptly rose from the mountainside. A huge log cabin, built two stories high onto the side of the levelling mountain range. The windows glowed warmly, cutting a square of light through the icy night air. "Hey, Marcus." She decided upon calling him Marcus - being the first name she gave him. "Yes?" Elise stifled her instinctive cringe urge. Seemed Marcus wasn't as asleep as she had thought. "There's a lodge." She nodded to the building ahead. "I figured we could rent a couple of rooms?" ""We"?" Six sat upright. "Well, you're in my car." Elise defended effortlessly. Her eyelids grew heavy and her limbs hung desperately for the ground - thus prompting her decision to find a place to sleep. "Look - we're both running from something. Maybe it's better if we stick together?" Six's response was immediate. "I don't trust you." He said simply. "But - you have a car. I need transport, so I suppose I have no choice." "All right." Elise kicked open her door. "Get mine, can you?" Six yawned and shuffled to his door. "I'm sorry?" Elise shut her door and raised him a curious glance. "Are your arms broken?" "Yes, my arms are broken." Six snapped sarcastically. "Just open my damn door, can you?" Elise stared at him still. He jerked his head toward the door sharply, putting an arm through his backpack straps. "All right." She pulled open his door reluctantly. Six swung his legs out of the vehicle and leapt out quickly. He staggered away from the door as he stretched his back, bending back with a long yawn. He hooked his foot around the door and pulled it shut. Elise locked the door after him, and began towards the lodge as she searched about the landscape. Trees dotting the approach to the steeper stretch of the mountainside, snow blanketing their feet and most of the sparsely populated carpark, the road too sprinkled with a fine dusting. A wave of heat swept across both as the door swung open. The light erupted from the small square in the doorway, re-emerging as a brightly lit lounge and reception on the inside. The crowd immediately turned to them. A group of half-a-dozen humans, accompanied by a Pokémon or two each. At a counter on the left, a disgruntled man gave a brief grunt, and leaned towards the newcomers over the surface. "Where you coming from?" His patrons all eyed Six and Elise, whispering urgently between themselves. "Snowpoint." Six said before Elise got a word in. "I'm Marcus." He placed an arm around Elise's shoulders. Her eyes nearly flew wide open in shock as he leaned across and pecked her on the cheek, but she kept her cool and played along. She giggled a little and pushed him playfully. "Stop it Mark..." She glanced down shyly. "Not in front of them..." "This is Elise." He smirked and nodded to the man at the counter. "We're just looking for a place to stay. We have money..." "Forget the money." The man's face rose a little, nearly forming a smile under his bushy moustache. He invited the two over as the crowd eased again, sharing relieved sighs and mutters as they returned to their seats around a roaring fireplace in the centre of the lounge. Six approached the counter with Elise in tow, meeting the man. The man sighed and glanced at the group as their chat began again. "Money's losing value, these days." He muttered. "This is war, my friend. I don't want to make money - I just want to keep as many of us alive as I can." He turned to Six and nodded. "You're welcome to stay as long as you want. No charge. I extend the same offer these days, as long as you're willing to help out around the place a little. Chop some wood when we need some, help cook occasionally, so on." "That's kind of you." Six smiled warmly and nodded in return. "Thank you for your hospitality." "No problem." The man reached a hand under the counter and removed a key, dropping it on the surface. "Room 13. Put your stuff away and head on back down to the fire. We've got showers, electricity - a nice setup. Make yourselves at home." "Thanks." Six headed towards a staircase immediately to his right. Elise scooped up the keys and sprung into line beside him, still playing her part perfectly and dropping her head on his shoulder. "You're very good at this." He commented quietly as they began up the steps. "I've had practise." Elise removed her head and put a little distance between them. "Though - you do realise we have to share the same room now?" "I know that." Six found room 13, and Elise put the key into the lock. "But that doesn't concern me. You need me for something, so you aren't going to try and kill me anytime soon." "I don't need you for anything." Elise chuckled as she followed him in. "Contractions, again. You're defensive." Six reminded her. "Damn it..." Elise cursed at herself as her smile dropped. Six unslung his bag and dropped it beside a couch. He stretched again and rolled his shoulders, now free of his weight. "That guy said there's a shower, didn't he? I'm going under." "Alright." Elise laid her own bag beside the double bed and sat on the edge. Six headed for another door at the side of the room, taking a towel from the end of the bed as he went. "By the way..." Six stopped and turned around, catching Elise's attention. He slid the keys from his pocket and tossed them onto the bed beside Elise. "Lock the door. Don't let anyone in, okay?" "Okay." Elise nodded. She watched Six close the doorway and disappear from view. She sighed and lay down on the bed. The front folds of her coat fell around her waist, leaving her blue-clad torso revealed as she shut her eyes and relaxed. "You are one curious man, Mr Marcus." She sighed as she settled into the mattress and blankets. She thrust one hand into her pocket and withdrew the folded paper. She didn't unfold it, but she simply stared up at it for a moment in thought. It didn't sit well with her. It didn't sit well at all. First the backpack full of money. Where did a guy get that much cash from? Secondly, his passports. Having a few fake passports was something she was familiar with, but "Marcus" had dozens of the things. Then the poster, third. Even the Sinnoh military had nothing on the guy, save a blurry photo. Then the whole "assassin" thing was the icing on the cake. He had mentioned specifically an "assassin". Not a bounty hunter - an assassin. But she needed him. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something about him she knew would help her. He seemed like that kind of person who could get things done. Her biggest obstacle, however, was his mistrust. She had to gain his trust. He already had a heap of money, so there was no use in buying him. He seemed like the kind of person not to be threatened easily. Elise doubted that would be a good idea. That left a select few options. She glanced at the door with a thoughtful murmur. He looked young. Young men were easy to manipulate normally, but she figured he was the headstrong type, so sexual favours likely wouldn't get her far. She didn't rule the option out though - there was a chance for success. Money. Threats. Sex. She was running out of leverage quickly. She knew she wouldn't make it far on her own... she had to think of something. A sharp knock on the door derailed her train of thought. She whispered thankfully for the distraction, and went for the door without thinking. Not smart. Not smart at all.
Ice and ice met. Each pit as intense as the other, hell-bent on outmatching the other. Silver iris, silver iris. Black pupil, black pupil. Six's reflection upheld his stare evenly, gazing back into his eyes. Behind him, the floor of the shower was still dry. The flooring tiles shone in a dim overhead light, revealing no distortion by water droplets clinging to them. His jacket still draped his shoulders, still zipped up. He hadn't removed it. He hadn't removed anything. He hadn't even touched the shower. He had simply walked into the bathroom, placed himself in front of the mirror, and stared for a couple of minutes. "What am I going to do?" He asked helplessly. His reflection shrugged similarly, disclosing nothing of assistance. "I fucked up..." He sighed and stood upright again. His head hung and his cold lips continued whispering. "I fucked up..." He turned halfway towards the exit door and stared. Elise, so she had identified herself. Likely not her real name. She most likely had as many passports as he did. A Unovan running from something... it was a curious story, if it was true. She clearly wanted something from him. He made a reluctant start for the doorway, breaking his trance of melancholy. He would go downstairs. Find somebody to talk to. Have a lighter conversation. Speak about something trivial. Laugh a little. That always got his spirits up. The edge of the doorway slid to the limit of his periphery as it swung open, and immediately something was wrong. His mind flashed into action as soon as Elise appeared to his eyes. Bound, gagged and propped against the headrest of the bed...
The Lucario stopped immediately. She glanced up. A gold earring in one ear jingled ominously in the blustering gale, whistling through the night sky. Her eyes grew open, red irises flashing blue for a moment. A spike of aura jumped, sparking to life throughout her body before falling quickly. It was him... "SIX!" She exploded forwards with a roar, rushing with renewed speed and fury. "YOU DIE NOW!"
Six leapt backwards just in time. A purple blur flashed past in front of him, right where his face had been a moment before. The blur froze in mid-movement when it reached full stretch. A slimy purple tentacle, it seemed, striped with one yellow band partway along. The purple thing recoiled back quickly, shooting back to its origin as another blur. Six leapt through the doorway as it returned, and spun to the attacker. "Who do we have here?" The man's shades gleamed, as if capturing a glimmer of his mirth. The sleeves of his overcoat rose from elbow to wrist, and an Ekans sprouted from each sleeve of his long overcoat. The Pokémon hovered above his hands, and hissed in unison, baring their venomous fangs and glaring through vicious gold eyes. "What do we have here?" Six's stance eased up, and he stood a little taller. "A snake, huh? Didn't expect this." The man chuckled a little, but remained on his spot. He was in no rush. "The snake is never expected." The left Ekans darted for Six. It wrapped the end of its tail around the man's wrist and lunged, drawing its mouth open for the strike. Six crossed his arms and made a short step back. Elise released a muffled scream of horror as Six's step landed too short, and the Pokémon bit. The tainted pearl fangs clashed shut on air, barely missing Six's throat. The Snake whipped his arm back with a grunt, retracting his Pokémon. "A close call." He observed. "A precise dodge." Six corrected him. "I've killed a lot of you before. You really should leave right now." The snake shook his head slowly, but kept at bay, intent on letting their little word game linger. "I've killed a lot of you before, also." "Touché." Six smirked a little. "We are at odds then?" "It would seem." The snake chuckled. Six chuckled in return. Counter-assassination was always fun. Others were always cocky, always confident. Always cool and composed. It was fun to break that confidence and slaughter them. "Then let us see who fate favours." Another two lunges exploded from the snake's hands. Six sidestepped both with sharp dexterity, still with his arms crossed mockingly. The snake leapt forwards and took the attack, whipping with both Ekanses again. Six moved forwards quickly, diving right between the attacks, and kicked out. His attack struck the snake in the gut, and before the Ekanses could hit him on the return, Six had dived aside into a roll. "I'm better than I look." Six advised as the Snake regained himself. "You are." The Snake smirked painfully, clutching his stomach. That's the last time I underestimate you." The snake lashed out with another barrage of whips, this time swinging wide and one-by-one to restrict Six's opening. This time, Six kept on the defensive. He dashed and ducked and dived around every attack as if he already knew where each was going to land. He sidestepped out of corners as the snake pushed him back, giving himself room to move. The whole while, Elise stared in fear and awe at the situation. She had never seen anything move like Six did, human or Pokémon. No attack even made contact - he was like a ghost, weaving between every strike without worry. In fact, he managed to uphold a smile throughout the entire fight. An invincible, cocky smile. The snake threw one arm sideways, launching one of his pets to the floor as he dived forwards, himself. The free snake quickly slithered around the side of Six, and lunged as the snake attacked from the front. Six lifted one arm and leapt into the Snake's attack, dodging the feint attack in the process. He twirled around the whipping snake with millimetres to spare, and lashed out with a vicious kick. The snake sidestepped this time, and leapt aside as he retreated to range. "You're very good." The snake panted and nodded, crouched low and holding his stomach as the pain from the first blow flared up again. "Well, I hate to be the dick in the middle of battle, but you're rather poor." The snake's hidden grin soured as Six's rose further. "You're the second weakest snake I've ever had the displeasure of fighting." "You'll regret saying that..." The snake hissed and removed a pokéball from his belt. He tossed it aside with a growl. "MIGHT!" The Pokémon howled as it was freed, bursting into the room in a red flash. Six's smile fell now. It was serious now. "That's rather unsporting of you. Three on one." "I never claimed to be sporting." "Indeed." Six kicked one foot. The kick didn't even make contact - they were at a solid five metres distance - but the man seemed to feel it. His face went pale quickly, and he coughed. Two droplets of blood seeped to the floor from his throat, splattering on the pure white carpet. This was quickly succeeded by a small trickle more as more leaked from the wound. The man's Pokémon all stopped and stared as they realised what had happened. They only watched helplessly as their master collapsed to the floor with a splutter, and fell limp on contact. The end of a ballistic knife protruded from a deep gash in his throat, already bloodied by the draining life. Six took advantage of their shock, and kicked again. A second ballistic knife exploded from the tip of his other boot, cutting the air with a sharp hum. The Mightyena's head jerked sideways with a howl as the second blade struck it. It flicked its mane with a pained roar and swatted the knife away with a paw. Only stuck in a centimetre through the Pokémon's firm cheek, it dislodged easily. Knives weren't designed to penetrate a Pokémon's skin. "Mightyena!" The dog Pokémon howled again, eyes flooding with rage, and lunged. At its sides, the Ekanses too sprung for Six, fuelled by rage and hatred for the killer of their master. Elise screamed through her gag, and clenched her eyes shut. Six sighed as they leapt, and hung his head calmly. He whispered a goodbye. "Thuck -" Elise held her teary eyes shut as she trembled. The fear of the unknown - the fear of three frenzied Pokémon - the fear immobilized her. She remained still for a moment longer, still shaking wildly. Nothing was happening. No cries of rage. No cries of pain. No touch of any kind. What was going on? "You can open your eyes now." Elise's eyes burst open at the sound of Six's voice. He stood in the exact same place as he had been before she shut her eyes. His arms still crossed. The same. At his feet, three dead Pokémon lay perfectly still. Blood oozed from each's head, pooling and staining the carpet beneath. No evidence of anything that killed them. No weapon in sight. Just Six, and three dead Pokémon. He strode to Elise's side and knelt beside her. He frowned momentarily, and stood again. "Well... this is awkward..." He smiled sheepishly. "But... I can't untie you." WHAT? Elise's eyes flew wide again, and she immediately bucked against her restraints. "Hey, hey, hold on." Six shook his head. "I'd let you out if I could... but I can't..." "Mmm mm mml mmnt?" Why the hell not? "Well... because..." Six's grin widened a little further, becoming truly nervous now. "You may not have noticed... but I can't move my hands." Elise's struggling ceased immediately. "Mm MMMM?" You WHAT? Six lifted one arm from his side to demonstrate. At the end of his arm, his hand hung limply on his wrist. His fingers appeared pale and gaunt. Lifeless. They didn't even twitch. "My arms don't move from the elbow down. I can't grab things. Pick things up. I can't even open doors, or put on clothing by myself." He explained. "I can move my arm at my shoulder, and at my elbow, but that's it. no twisting, no wrist or finger movement. That's why I can't untie you. I can't actually grab the rope to untie you." Oh, my, god! Elise banged her head against the headrest behind her. What am I going to do now? "YOU!" She jerked upright. Six leapt a bit at the voice, and they both spun to the door. He gulped, and backed away. "Shit..." It was the biggest Lucario Elise had ever seen. It was huge - as tall as she was, nearly six-feet. Gold streaks ran through its fur down its arms, and red streaks beside those, and more. Its entire body was a collage of red and gold streaks all over its blue, black and yellow fur. Over this, a pair of plain black slacks and a metal breastplate. The Lucario leapt at him off her back foot. She sped across the room and nearly tackled him - but instead her paw wrapped around his throat and hoisted him off the ground, and shoved him into the wall. "YOU BASTARD!" She shouted in both her own tongue and through telepathy. Six sighed and let his head hang. He ignored the paw choking him slowly, and muttered something. He finally looked up, and sighed again. "Hey Nova." ""Hey Nova"?? That's it? Just "Hey Nova"? WHAT THE FUCK?" Six glanced sideways at Elise. "Elise... do you remember when I said there was an assassin hunting me down?" Elise stared blankly, desperately trying to piece the situation together. She nodded slowly. "Well this is her."
And so concludes part one. SO MANY QUESTIONS! WHO is Six? WHAT is the "bad thing" he has done? WHO is Elise? WHO is she running from? WHO is the Lucario? And finally - WHAT is in Six's egg? I'm taking input from Drakenguard42 on this. I'm making him my plot-buddy! Yay for teamwork! Coz plot is what he does best. Thanks for reading. ^^ Next up: Assassins, awkward moments, confusion and weedsuits. Deception, betrayal and Lucarios who just can't keep their sexy blue asses to themselves... T.phage out!