Candida sat up with a start when she heard the tummalt of voices issuing from the corridor. She fumbled for her lightswitch and flicked it on, wondering as she did so what could be happening at this time of night - the Marill-shaped clock on her beside cabinet showed 2.30AM in red digits flashing on the model Pokemon's belly. Everything looked normal - her posters were still on the wall and her Jigglypuff doll was still on the shelf - but there was obviously something untoward happening in Aquarius.
She was just about to get dressed and go investigate when Ryan burst in with his Elekid close behind. "What's going on, Candy?" he asked. "What's all that noise?"
"I don't know," Candida told him truthfully. "But I'm going to take a look . . ." With that, she grabbed Lapras and Togetic's Poke Balls and, stopping only to pull on her slippers, she made her way out into the transparent tube that linked the Bensons' module with the rest of Aquarius. A shocking sight met her eyes.
Men and women in Team Midnight uniforms were swarming all over the place, breaking into modules and hauling the bewildered occupants and their Pokemon out. Fortunately, they hadn't reached the area where Candida and her family lived, but it was only a question of time before they did. This must be the plan she and her friends had overheard some Team Midnight agents discussing. She had no idea what that plan might be, but she knew it had to be bad and she had to warn the others.
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Racing over to the neighbouring module, she pressed down hard on the intercom, praying all the while that Autumn or one of her parents would hear it and answer. "C'mon!" she muttered to herself. "Answer! This is . . ."
Before she could get a reply, she was suddenly grabbed hold of by her wrist. "Don't even think about it, you little witch!" hissed a menacing voice as Candida turned to find herself staring into the cold grey eyes of a female Team Midnight agent. The latter roughly pulled the girl away from the Lanes' module and dragged her out into the corridor, keeping a tight hold of her arm the whole time. Candida would have released Togetic, but the woman was prepared for such a move and snatched both of Candida's Poke Balls.
"You won't be needing those," she said with a wicked sneer.
That was it. Candida wanted answers and she meant to get them. "Would you mind telling me what's going on here?!" she demanded, forcing herself to keep her voice level. "Why have we all been woken up like this?"
"You'll find out soon enough," the woman informed her bluntly. "Right now, you are coming with me." With that, she turned and marched away, dragging the dumbstruck Candida along with her. With her free hand, she toyed with the Poke Balls she had "liberated", wondering as she did so what Pokemon were inside. She hoped at least one would be a Dark or a Poison Type since these were her speciality - her own Pokemon team consisted of a Golbat, a Cacturne, a Nidoking and a Houndoom. Not only that, Team Midnight had plans for such Pokemon . . .
But Candida had no knowledge of this. "At least tell me why you've taken my Pokemon," she said, trying her best to sound casual. She was sure the woman wanted her to beg and she wasn't going to give her the satisfaction. Lydia had said long ago that Team Midnight were just a bunch of low-life bullies - and bullies thrived on causing fear. Often cowards themselves, they boosted their self-confidence by picking on those they knew couldn't retaliate.
The woman responded to Candida's question by elbowing her sharply in the back. "That's classified Team Midnight information!" she snarled. "And maybe you'd like to explain how that kid some of our agents caught managed to get out of the Tank."
"What kid? What Tank?" Candida responded, hoping against hope that she looked sufficiently puzzled. Then she recoiled as the woman struck her viciously across the face.
"Don't act innocent with me, miss! A girl fitting your description was seen with three other teenagers in an area that was out of bounds. One of the youngsters, another girl, was caught and placed in the Tank, but . . ."
She was cut short by the male Team Midnight agent called Tanner. "Crozier, interogate her later!" he ordered from where he and three other agents had the bewildered Bensons surrounded. "Right now, we've got to get our new "workforce" assembled. If the plan is to work, we can't waste time on a bunch of brats."
Something about the way he said "workforce" made Candida uneasy, as if he was using it as a euphemism for something far more sinister . . .
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Less than half-an-hour later, the entire population of Aquarius had been roused and unceremoniously herded deep into the underwater complex. Children, bewildered and frightened by what was happening, clung to their mothers who, even though they were themselves afraid, tried to put up a brave front. Several of them were whispering reassuringly to the youngsters, all the while wishing they could be sure that everything would be all right. Outside, sea-dwelling Pokemon such as Gyarados and Wailmer swam past, unaware of the turmoil within Aquarius.
As she and the rest of her family were shoved into the room where she, Autumn, Jeremy and Marc had first overheard the Team Midnight agents, Candida saw Sandra standing with her parents and wearing a nightshirt with a Skitty print on the front. The eyes of the two girls briefly met as Candida winked and made a quick OK sign with her thumb and forefinger. A nearby Team Midnight agent saw this and gave the girl a sharp prop with his rifle butt.
"No communicating!" he barked. "No speech, sign language - nothing! Just stand there until the Supreme Ruler of Aquarius arrives!" With that, he turned and stalked off, whistling nonchallently as he did so. There were few things he liked better than throwing his weight around.
Lydia waited until he was out of earshot before whispering to her husband. "What in the name of Johto is going on here?" she asked. "Why would Wilson want anything to do with scum like Team Midnight?"
Candida kept silent. She knew Wilson had nothing to do with this, that he must now be a prisoner himself, held elsewhere in the underwater complex. But that did not answer the question of what Team Midnight wanted or how their plans could be thwarted - and she still didn't know if she would be allowed to have Togetic and Lapras back. Kevin, Jeremy and Marc had been right - there was something untoward going on in Aquarius.
Presently, the door on the opposite side of the room swung open and Rich swaggered in with a self-satisfied expression like that of a conquering general on his face. This had gone better than he had hoped. There had been no serious violence and it was clear that no-one had escaped. There was much to be said for the element of surprise and for the Team Midnight executives who had waited until the early hours of the morning before sending the order to procede with the plan. Bewildered half-awake prisoners were far less likely to cause trouble.
"All right, listen up!" he commanded in an imperious tone. "Team Midnight are running things here now and you will all do as we say or else . . ."
"Or else what?" called a voice from among the assembled throng.
"You'll soon find out if you don't do as you're told," Rich said shortly after trying in vain to find the culprit. He paused and paced up and down, smug with satisfaction that the plans Team Midnight had for Aquarius would shortly come to fruition. All it required was a few hours of slave labour . . .
"Meanwhile," he went on, "you will all be taken deep under the ocean floor to await further instructions. I expect full co-operation from all of you. Any dissent, any rioting will be dealt with swiftly and harshly."
Candida knew the last thing she should do was call out, but she couldn't help herself - she had to know what would happen to Lapras and Togetic. "What about our Pokemon?" she demanded.
"They are being held for . . . safe keeping - you'll get them back shortly."
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A shocked mutter swept through the throng of people, most of whom were still in their nightclothes. Team Midnight in Aquarius? Surely not - hadn't there been checks to make sure only those chosen for the project were admitted? But there was no mistaking those uniforms and the arrogant way in which the agents were behaving. Had they been here from the first day and, if so, how had they managed to sneak in?
Candida and her friends were silent, each of them wishing they had told someone about Team Midnight before it was too late. Doing so would have meant admitting they had broken bounds, but at least none of this would have happened. At least they wouldn't have been woken in the early hours and dragged out of their modules to face whatever Team Midnight had in store for them. As it was . . .
Their thoughts were interupted by the sound of Rich's voice barking out orders. "All men and adolescent boys this side with Agent Tanner!" he ordered, pointing to the right. "Women, girls and younger boys must assemble over there." He pointed to the left. "They will be escorted by Agent Reeves. You will do this in an orderly fashion or suffer the consequences." With that, he marched off the way he had come, a satisfied smirk on his face. It had been almost too easy. All it had taken was a few late-night raids and Team Midnight was now running things.
There was a shocked silence following Rich's words. Many families did not want to be separated, mothers divided from their sons, wives from their husbands, children from their fathers, sisters from their brothers. Lydia Benson, like many other wives, was clinging desperately to her husband, not knowing when they would see each other again. Jack stroked her hair in an effort to reassure her, while both their children hovered around uncertainly.
Presently, Reeves appeared on the scene and pulled Lydia out of her husband's arms. "Time to break up this happy family," she said grimly. "You and your brats are coming with me."
Lydia, Candida and Ryan looked at Jack, the same bewildered expression etched on all their faces. He sighed wearily - he didn't like what Team Midnight were doing any more than they did, but there seemed to be little option other than doing as they were told. His children had had their Pokemon confiscated (Ryan had refused to let go of his Elekid's Poke Ball until a burly agent kicked him to the floor) and Rich had warned of "serious consequences" if anyone refused to co-operated.
"I'll be all right," he told them, wishing he could be as certain as he sounded. "You three go on now."
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Lydia Benson and her children were led deeper and deeper under the ocean floor. The clear perspex that gave the people of Aquarius a panoramic view of the oceans was replaced with blank white walls with no hint of decoration except a large portrait dominating the corridor. It showed a stern-looking white-haired man in a grey suit, an Absol curled on his lap. A small label at the bottom identified him as:
Sergio Lenoir
Founder and President of the glorious Team Midnight
Neither the Bensons nor any of the other prisoners had time to examine the portrait in detail before Crozier, the agent who had caught Candida, stepped forward and pressed down on an almost invisible notch in the wall. Slowly, the portrait slid sideways to reveal another corridor, this one long, narrow and lit with bare electric lightbulbs. Everyone hung back uncertainly, instinctively knowing that whatever lay at the end of that corridor could only be bad news . . .
"Move it, you worthless scum!" Crozier spat. "We haven't got all day!" And, to show what would happen to anyone who didn't do as they were told, she grabbed a small girl (who couldn't have been much more than eight years old) and slammed her fist into the child's stomach. The girl doubled over with tears in her eyes as a woman who seemed to be her mother looked on helplessly.
Candida's lips narrowed in disgust. That was just typical of Team Midnight to pick on the most defenceless person they could find. She longed to go and comfort the sobbing child, but fear that doing so could result in her getting hit herself held her back. Some day, she vowed to herself, Crozier would have to be taught a lesson . . .
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The hidden corridor seemed to go on forever and everyone was footsore and weary by the time the Team Midnight agents called a halt in a vast undersea cavern with many side tunnels branching off from it. "This," Reeves announced as she stood resting her hand on the rocky wall, "is your new workplace. You will labour here for the glory of Team Midnight and . . ."
"What exactly is this place?" demanded Kelly from where she stood with her mother. Jeremy, of course, had been separated from them and was with his father and the rest of the men and older boys.
"It's a treasure cave," Reeves said shortly. "Haven't you heard of a treasure cave before? Well, now you're in one and your job will be to get the treasure. If you work hard, you'll be suitably rewarded. However, if you don't . . ."
She deliberately left the last sentence unfinished so the prisoners could draw the inference themselves. But they all knew that whatever Team Midnight had in store for anyone they caught slacking was bound to be bad. Then she continued issuing her orders. "You will all receive a plastic tag with a number on it," she said as other agents moved among the crowd, handing out black plastic squares as they did so. "That number tells you which Shift you'll be working so don't lose it . . . Oh, yeah, and those of you on Shift One will be starting work right away. The rest of you will remain in your dormitory until your Shift begins."
Candida turned her tag over and saw a number 3 printed on it. "I'm on Shift Three," she said to her mother and brother. "What about you?"
I'm on Shift Three too," said Lydia, showing Candida her tag. "But Ryan's on Shift Two and I don't know what Shift your father will be on . . ." She paused as she wondered how it could all have gone so wrong. Everything had started so well, people achieving what even the inhabitants of Pacifidlog in Hoenn had never managed and building a city underwater. Now that Team Midnight were running things, she had no idea what was going to happen.
Putting on a brave face for the sake of the children - even though Candida was old enough to realise the severity of the situation - she suggested that, since they didn't have to start work straight away, they should head for the dormitory and catch up on their sleep.
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The dormitory proved to be a large cell lined with bunk beds with washroom facilities at the far end. Reeves and Crozier halted the prisoners inside the room and pointed to an A4-sized notice on the wall.
"These are the rules you will be following while you're in the service of Team Midnight," Crozier told them. "I suggest you read them through carefully as disobedience will be . . ."
" . . . punished severely," Autumn muttered from somewhere nearby. She felt strange without her Pikachu perched on her shoulder, but she had had to tell him to hide for his own safety. As soon as the Team Midnight agents broke into her family's module, she stuffed her Pikachu into the air-conditioning vent in her room and told him not to come out no matter what happen. She only hoped he would be all right . . .
"And the most important rule is this," Crozier went on, ignoring the interuption. "No escaping - you'll find getting out of here easier said than done anyway. And now," she added as she and Reeves moved towards the door, "we will be supervising those on Shift One." And, without another word, the two Team Midnight agents were gone.
Candida sat down on the nearest bunk, which only had a thin mattress, and sighed.