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Eddies

Chapter 55: Diversions.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Eddies 55

It was three AM before Chris returned to their room, giving a wide eyed Jimmy and Azil a quick rundown of what had gone on outside. Skyy lay back on the bed, eyes half closed as he listened in on the explanation, although he snorted in amusement at the "costume" bit.

"Bet that sat down real well with Suicune" he joked, as Chris shot him a smirk.

"Princess was all set to go out there and explain he was no one's costume, but Scott gave him an earful. Still, it took him and Raikou quite a long time before they convinced him the slight wasn't worth getting his tits in a tangle over."

Pondering for a moment, Chris muttered "Assuming the big sook has tits, deep down under all that dense fur. I don't really think it wise to ask him about them, however."

Grinning, Skyy nodded forcefully, and as Chris settled the two youngsters back under their sheets, didn't comment further as his partner slipped into bed, snuggling back as Chris wrapped warm arms around him.

With the human's soft breath at his ear, Skyy sighed against his chest. Chris tightened his grip, giving the lucario a reassuring squeeze that all would be well, as they slipped back into sleep.

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Knowing the long wait for details would result in his receiving an earful from Storm, Scott sighed in exasperation as he finally closed the door on the three legendaries room. Turning, he started in surprise, not having registered the presence of the aboriginal man who sat nearby in the dark on a rickety timber bench, face only dimly lit by his cigarette's glare.

"Shit, don't do that!" Scott spluttered, as Rodney gave a chuckle, holding out the pack invitingly. Shaking his head, the Ranger dropped beside him, stretching his neck to loosen out the cricks, while wincing as several cracks popped from his abused vertebrae.

"I'm getting too old for this!" he muttered, causing Rodney to raise an eyebrow at him.

"You ain't old yet, mate. It's when you get to my age, and everything starts falling apart, and everyone around you look like teenagers, that you know that the move on to the next plane is fast approaching."

Nodding absently, Scott let his mind drift a moment, until the quiet cough from the human beside him brought him back to himself.

Looking across at the man who was staring morosely across the poorly lit car park, Scott asked him "Why are you helping us, Rodney? Not that I don't want you here; Arceus sake, we'd be screwed without you! But you could have left at any time. Why stay? You know this is going to get dangerous?"

Rodney drew long and hard on the smoke, before stabbing out the used butt in a bucket of sand beside the bench arm as he pondered his reply. Finally, he gave the Ranger a searching look, shrugged his shoulders and spoke softly. "I am here because I need to be here. It's what my entire being says needs to be. Spirits, ancestors, whatever. They all are tellin' me that this is the right thing to do, and whatever may come, will be."

Scott gave him an inscrutable look. "Your spirits are with you constantly, aren't they?" he asked, and was unsurprised when the man nodded, flashing brilliant white teeth in amusement.

"Yours aren't?" the aboriginal man asked with a grin, pointing to the room where the legendaries slept.

Scott coughed, ready to retort, but the words died on his lips. Seriously considering his reply, he finally said quietly "I guess they are, at that."

As a further thought occurred to the Ranger, he turned to the man and said seriously "You do understand that this may be a one way trip, don't you? I cannot guarantee either your safety or how easily we can return you to your people, or even back to this world. It's going to get nasty, most likely, and if our last foray into a Sinnotech facility is anything to go by, as your Alice would say, it's possibly a one way trip through the looking glass."

Rodney shrugged, unconcerned with the Rangers question. "I know, my friend. I'm simply going where the spirits tell me to go. If they want me to travel to your home, nothing on this world will prevent it. So, why worry about it?"

At Scott's dubious nod, the man laughed, lighting another cigarette before continuing. "Besides, I'd be like that Neil Armstrong fella! One small step for Rodney, and all that crap! First of my people to boldly go, where none have ever gone before! It'll be better than all that Star Trek stuff!"

Scott shrugged helplessly, having no idea what the man was talking about, but convinced that his enthusiasm was genuine. Perhaps it was something they'd all need badly before the day was over.

Nothing further was said as the pair digested their individual thoughts, before Scott stood with a sigh, giving the man a comforting clap on the shoulder. "Glad you're with us, Rodney, regardless of the reasons. I just hope you don't come to regret them before all of this is over."

Nodding, Rodney drew another long pull on the cigarette, the dim ruby glow giving his grinning face a slightly demonic appearance, and said to Scott "Gonna be interesting, regardless, huh brother?"

Scott didn't reply as he slipped back into his unit. It wasn't a question needing an answer.

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The dim glow of the cheap digital bedside clock was all the illumination lighting the unit, as the 6.00am alarm brought Chris reluctantly from his sleep. After thumping the snooze button with enough force to nearly knock the clock from the dresser, Chris lay back down on his pillow, wiping tired eyes even as Skyy protested sleepily from the bed beside him.

Still, it took a long moment for his addled brain to register the reality of the day, and his eyes widened as the thought finally took hold. This was it; D Day for Sinnotech.

When a warm paw draped itself across his chest, he turned to regard the narrowed ruby eyes of the lucario lying on his side next to him, as the long ears twitched in his direction.

"It's all come to this, huh?" said Skyy sombrely, alert despite the hour.

Chris sighed, cupping the furred hand in his own and caressing the short spike on its back. "Yeah. I guess it is. Not that I'm all that happy with it."

Skyy nodded, blinking at his friend. "Was going to happen, regardless, wasn't it. I don't think we had any choice in the matter."

Chris released the paw and wrapped his arm around the furred shoulders, drawing the lucario close. Snuggling into the fur on his head, Chris breathed out between Skyy's ears, and muttered "No. But it bothers me that I keep feeling like we're being pushed into this confrontation. It's what Raikou said that time, about Arceus's path for us. The choice was made long ago. I just hope it was the right one."

He felt Skyy nod agreement against his neck, and thought to himself another few minutes of peace wouldn't hurt.

It wasn't as if Sinnotech were going anywhere, after all.

Still, when Jimmy's face appeared over his own, he groaned again, as the youngster smirked down at them and said "Comfy?"

Reaching back for a pillow, he pushed it into his brothers face, muttering "I was, squirt!", as Skyy snorted in amusement. But they both rose up, Chris's arms goose pimpling as the chill morning air drew the beds warmth from his skin.

Pointing to the shower, he said to his brother "You! Wash!" When a smirk from the charmeleon standing nearby caught his eye, as the orange pokémon sniggered at his trainers stormy look, Chris pointed at him too, and said "You, too!", which startled the creature.

With the pairs protests finally stifled by the bathroom door, Chris had an opportunity to rub his face, as Skyy drew up beside him, giving him a hand to his feet. As their eyes met, Chris said quietly "Scared?"

Skyy paused, before nodding slowly. "Yeah. You?"

Chris's barely perceptible return nod was all the acknowledgement the lucario needed to wrap arms back around the human, and draw him comfortingly close.

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As dawn broke, Rodney pulled the truck up in the tight space behind the units, and the group piled in. Unusually sombre, and equally silent, there was little conversation to be had as they headed down the highway towards the distant city skyline.

Storm had ignored his partners protests and climbed into the cab between his fellow Ranger and Rodney. While the typhlosion knew his presence in public view could cause issues, he refused to be left out of the planning undertaken by the two human's.

"You know I am better at this stuff than you, Scott" he grumped, which had his partner pause. Scott knew it was the truth and, regardless of his thoughts that Storm being in front was a bad idea, let his arguments die. The traffic at this time of the day was light, and with the height of the vehicle towering over smaller cars, he just hoped the pokémon's presence would remain unnoticed.

Still, it was a while before he managed to calm himself enough to broach the pending confrontation with the pair. Storm simply ignored his concerns, chatting with the aboriginal man, who didn't seem fazed by anything.

Scott, however, was worried. So many things could go wrong, and he just prayed today would turn out better than their previous experiences.

Distracted, he didn't notice the pair sharing the cab had dropped into silence, until a heavy, furred arm draped itself over his shoulder. Turning in surprise, he faced Storm, whose muzzle was quirked into a typhlosion grin.

"She'll be right, mate!" said the pokémon with a drawl, getting a laugh and a thumbs up from Rodney, who said "Got it perfect, brother!" Scott laughed despite himself, and regardless of Rodney's presence, leaned against his friend comfortingly.

"How do you think we should tackle this?" the Ranger asked, and Storm thought a moment, before replying with a rumble "Head on. Fuck em'! All this planning and tactical bullshit we've done in the past has always got us nowhere. The bastards have had an answer for everything. I reckon, this time we just make it up as we go! Let them plan for that eventuality!"

Scott gave him an incredulous look. "You're not serious?"

Storm shrugged. "Why not? Didn't help that arse hat Jobes to plan anything against us. What's the worst that could happen?"

Scott looked away. "You mean, apart from getting captured or killed?"

Storm regarded his partner for a moment, before pulling the concerned human close again. "Not this time, Scott. This time, we're going to wipe the floor with these toe rags."

Scott sighed. "Not that I don't share your positivity, but..."

Rodney interrupted his reply. "No buts, bro. We go in, we kick arse, we win! That's what we do!"

Storm chuckled darkly, and said "We got three legendaries, two Rangers, and enough pokémon to take down an army, as has been soundly proven once this week already. How can we fail?"

Scott made to reply, but froze as the wail of a siren sounded from outside the truck. Giving Storm a loaded look, he dropped his head to stare through the side mirror, spotting the flashing lights of a police cruiser behind them. Cursing, he turned to Rodney, whose perpetual smile had vanished, even as a loud banging against the cab glass let them know their rear passengers had also became aware of their unwelcome escort.

"We know, we know!" he shouted out futilely to the passengers in the back, unsure if they could hear, but the banging stopped, and Scott prayed the legendaries didn't do anything drastic. Storm gave him a wide eyed look and shrugged helplessly, but when Rodney began looking panicked, Scott said "Just pull over! There's nothing we can do about it! We'll have to deal with it!"

Nodding, Rodney flicked on the indicator, manoeuvring the truck into the breakdown lane as the police cruiser pulled in front of them, blocking the road ahead. Motioning for Storm to hunch down beneath the dashboard as best he could, Scott prayed the big pokémon could hide his presence, as the doors of the car ahead opened, and two uniformed officers approached the truck cab from the driver's side.

Winding down the driver's window, Rodney did his best to put on a nonchalant face, calling down to the policeman "Mornin' officer. What can we do for you?"

"We're looking for a Scott Rivers?" the man replied, eyeing the pair of men somewhat cautiously. Something about them seemed odd, but he didn't let his attention leave their faces.

Surprised despite himself, Scott called out "I'm Scott Rivers", opening the door cautiously to slip from the cab when the man requested he step down. Joining the pair on the roadside, one of the officers gave him an inscrutable look, before continuing "We've been advised to keep an eye out for you and that truck you're in. You're to be escorted into the city, without fanfare, to meet up with some senior officers at police HQ."

Scott sighed, unsurprised despite himself. "Let me guess; the request came from Cameron Marshke?"

The officer gave his partner a loaded look, surprised the man knew the district commissioner on a first name basis, but shrugged. "I don't have that information, sir. But the request wasn't a request, if you get my drift?"

Giving the man a sudden wry smile, Scott replied dryly "Oh, yes, I understand. It's been that sort of week. Well, lead on, and we'll follow."

The officer nodded, but eyed the truck uncertainly. "Do you think you should bring the vehicle with you?"

Scott laughed suddenly, imagining the chaos that'd ensue if they left the group behind, and nodded at the confused policemen. "Given how much trouble it'd cause leaving it here, I think we'd better bring it along."

After a brief trip to the back of the truck to inform the occupants of the change of plans, he climbed back into the cab and explained the situation to the relieved Rodney, but admonished Storm to keep his head down until they were underway, which the typhlosion did reluctantly.

Returning to their cruiser, the second officer closed his door and turned to the first, to ask cautiously "Umm, did you see that...?"

The first started the car, buckling on his seat belt before pulling out into the light morning traffic, aware that the cattle truck had begun to follow. "You mean, the huge blue furry thing with the glowing red eyes hiding down behind the dashboard, trying to be invisible?"

Wide eyed, the other officer nodded.

"Nope!" said the first, attention fixed firmly on the road. "Didn't see a thing!"

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It was a further thirty minutes drive before they arrived at the large precinct office, located in the outer western suburbs of the city. The trip had been uneventful, although Scott couldn't help but notice the occasional head swing as one of the officers in the vehicle ahead turned to stare back at the cab of the truck trailing behind them.

Once they had resumed their journey, Storm had sat upright, despite the protests of his partner, citing the fact "he was too big, and too bloody old, to worry about that shit anymore!" Still, after several crook-neck stares from the vehicle ahead, the typhlosion had sent the human in the squad car a toothy wave, causing the officer to spin back to a forward position in a panic.

Giving the pokémon a shake of his head, Scott muttered 'That isn't helping!", to which his partner shrugged and replied "They're big boys. They can probably handle it without soiling themselves."

Scott had his doubts about that, but with the remainder of the drive causing no further catastrophe, he was relieved when they finally reached their destination safely. Doubly so when he spotted Cameron waiting for them, along with several other officers, a few whom he knew vaguely from the farm operation.

As the truck ground to a halt, Scott had a moments apprehension that the group in the back might exit prematurely, but the rear of the vehicle remained sealed. Jumping to the ground, Scott joined Cameron, who shook his hand warmly, but their conversation paused following several gasps from officers in the group as Storm left the vehicle to join him. From the nervous looks and pale faces, some had clearly not expected the big pokémon's presence, and the friendly grin he'd directed at them, long, sharp teeth and all, obviously did little to reassure them as to his passive nature.

Then again, their response was nothing compared to the reaction that arose when Rodney untied the rear tarp of the truck trailer, and the pair of Rangers were joined by Raikou, Chris and their friends.

Once the commotion died down somewhat, Scott asked the question he'd been wondering. "What's happened, Cameron? Why'd you call us back?"

Shaking his head and gesturing around, Cameron muttered "Not out here. It's too public. Let's head inside, and I'll fill you in on the latest events."

Nodding, Scott followed Cameron and his staff inside, trailed by the rest of the group, who continued to elicit shocked responses from those they passed. When they finally entered a large, open office area full of desks, the whole place dropped into silence, all eyes on the monsters passing through their midst.

At least, the silence lasted until Storm, passing one young policewoman regarding them in open mouthed disbelief, gripped her cubicle wall and hung his head over the to say with a smirk "Howsit hangin', baby?"

Thumping his partner, who let out a growling peal of laughter that echoed through the shocked room, an embarrassed Scott apologised for his friend to the woman, who gave the pair an amused, if still stunned, smile, which became a blush as the typhlosion gave her a broad wink and thumbs up. Rolling his eyes, Scott poked the pokémon in the ribs, and they continued into a large meeting room, as the senior officers closed the doors behind them.

"Where the hell did you learn that?" Scott muttered, receiving another laugh in reply, as well as a thump on his shoulders.

"Absorbing the culture in a new place is part of Ranger policy, Scotty! You need to relax more. Take a load off!" the typhlosion replied with a chuckle, before they settled down in the big room, most in chairs facing the podium at the front, with the larger pokémon resting on the carpeted floor at the room's rear.

Big as it was, the conference room felt crowded, with a good two dozen officers joining the meeting. Again, it appeared Cameron had informed his men of their imminent arrival, as no one panicked at the pokémon's presence, but there were more than a few nervous looks directed at the pokémon, especially Raikou and his brothers, whose size dominated the room. It's all well and good to be told they'd be having a session with huge furry monsters, but nothing makes up for the reality of the actual situation.

Taking the stand, Cameron nodded towards Scott and said to his audience "I apologise for bringing you here like this. I know the plan was for your group to enter the Sinnotech offices with as little fanfare as possible, and try and get back through the portal. However, events have unfortunately changed over the past twelve hours, and that will no longer be possible."

Coughing into his hand, Cameron let the comment sink in a moment before continuing.

"It seems we now have a doubly difficult situation to deal with. Firstly, we have reports from those officers I had placed to keep Sinnotech under surveillance, that a large number of security personnel have been employed by the company to guard the building. Nor are they your normal run-of-the-mill bouncer-types. These have the appearance of hard core mercenaries, and are equipped with automatic weapons and body armour well out of proportion to the role they would normally occupy in such a position. Obviously, they know you're coming."

From the back, Raikou spoke out, his unexpectedly deep voice startling several in the room, who spun to regard him in shock.

"That is immaterial. We can deal with such a force without difficulty."

Cameron nodded at the legendary. "Likely you can. However, I need to remind you that the building in question is located in an area of heavy pedestrian traffic. Even with your powers, I doubt you can guarantee the safety of all civilians in the area, should the situation become heated."

Raikou paused a moment before nodding, leaving the man to continue speaking. Scott breathed a sigh of relief, echoed by Storm beside him. While having shown an incredible level of tolerance and acceptance for the humans around them so far, there was no doubt how much damage, let alone carnage, the three legendaries could cause, if they chose to act without limit or consideration to those humans around them. Even so, these further delays were likely pushing the pokémon's patience to its limits.

Cameron met Scott's eyes, showing equal relief, before giving the group the more unpleasant news.

"We have also received a somewhat carefully worded document from the Ministry of Defence, advising that there have been some, how did they put it? Irregularities. Yes, irregularities in the recent actions of General Brian Jobes in his administration of the "situation" at the Masters property. It seems these irregularities include their most current concern, where the General has broken off all communication with his superiors. As you can understand, this is causing them a great deal of... discomfort."

"Discomfort my arse!" muttered Storm to Scott, leaning down to whisper in his human partners ear. "I bet they're shittin' themselves, after letting that psycho loose!"

Hushing the typhlosion up with one hand, Scott directed his attention back to the front, trying to follow Cameron's comments.

"...a large number of troop movements have been witnessed in the area, which have not been authorised. More concerning, the complete radio silence which has been encountered by Defence when trying to contact those deployed means that it has become impossible for their leaders to recall them, and they now seem to be heading in the direction of the city."

Sitting back, Scott put a hand to his chin and pondered the information. He made to ask a question, but was beat to the punch by one of the senior officers, who asked "What do our people think they have planned?"

Cameron met the man's eye, and said "Our thoughts are they are planning on assaulting the Sinnotech facility, and seizing control of the portal."

Arguments erupted from within the room, as both the humans and even the pokémon commented amongst themselves. Finally, clearing his throat, Cameron brought the disruption under control, and nodded to another officer, who raised his hand to ask a question.

"Won't this place the civilian population in even further danger, given the level of preparedness we have seen in this facility?"

Cameron nodded again, and said "The likelihood of significant casualties has risen markedly."

Cursing, Storm stood, his suddenly steaming body looming over those nervous humans around him, and demanded "What is that idiot thinking? Does he believe we will just sit back and let him slaughter the humans around him, letting him take control of the access to our world, and do the same there? He's insane!"

Eyes narrowed, Cameron gave the angry pokémon a forbidding look, and said commandingly "Sit down, Ranger! I am quite aware of this, thank you, and expect you to maintain the same level of control as my officers, if you wish to contribute and be involved in this discussion and operation!"

Muttering beneath his breath, Storm subsided, ignoring the disgusted look from his partner. Giving him a suddenly sympathetic glance, the Commissioner continued.

"Thank you! For your information, we have been advised that they now consider Jobes a loose cannon, and we have been given an unprecedented blanket of authority to do whatever we need to handle the situation; provided!" he said loudly, as the room again began to stir, "Provided our primary objective is maintained, which is to limit the risk to the public!"

As they again calmed, Cameron sighed and said "We have a dilemma, people. We need to stop this man, and we need to take charge of the Sinnotech operation, without causing further harm. It's going to be difficult, but I have every faith in our abilities to achieve this."

It seemed the meeting was heading for conclusion, when a loud cough from the rear had people turning. Raikou stood, with his brothers beside him, and gave Cameron a loaded look. At his nod, the legendary addressed the group.

"While we appreciate your efforts, you can understand our concerns in ensuring the world we have vowed to protect is kept safe. We will offer you every support in achieving this, but cannot overlook the serious risk this General poses to our people."

Letting out a deep sigh, the pokémon exchanged a look with his brothers, and Scott didn't miss the slight nod from Suicune as Raikou hesitated, before he sighed again and continued.

"While the risk posed by Sinnotech and the dark forces that govern them is great, I need to advise that this is not the only concern we face. Tampering with the portal itself, governed by technology that has not been seen even by a world as technologically advanced as this one, carries its own risks. It would not be impossible for those controlling the Sinnotech facility to cause a catastrophic collapse of the portal, should they be pressed unnecessarily into doing so, as a measure of last resort. The results could be... devastating."

Lips and eyes narrowed, Cameron spoke into the stunned silence following the pokémon's words.

"What exactly do you mean by devastating? They could blow it up?"

When the pokémon nodded sombrely, Cameron looked to his senior officers, and asked reluctantly "And how big would the resultant explosion be, exactly?"

Raikou hesitated, and Entei raised his huge head, a wry expression on his fanged face, and rumbled to the shocked audience "Let's just say that the phrase "you have nowhere to hide" would be taken to a whole new level."

It was long moments before anyone spoke following that comment.

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Authors note:

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Been a while coming.

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Slowly heading to the big one. Just having hell of a time finding the time and motivation to get there. Had some real crazy shit go down around here, and me being "time poor" is an understatement.

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But I'll keep banging on with it as I go. Bear with me.