Chapter Eleven: Disobedience Maybe life's not perfect Maybe it's not worth what he gives away. -3 Doors Down Gary didn't know Ash very well. But that didn't matter much when you had hardly a handful of experienced years in your pocket. At five years old, you played with anyone on the block. And you didn't become friends, no. You shaped and molded each other to fit into future friendships you'd form for later life. There was no such thing as friendship yet. Gary had a shiny red ball and Ash had hands to catch. That was all that ever need knowing. So they passed it back and forth over Gary's lawn. Ash was a terrible catch- either that or Gary was a terrible thrower. Gary tossed the ball at Ash's face and again it went over his head. As he stumbled across the lawn after the ball, Gary caught sight of two grownups outside Ash's house. One he recognized as Ash's mother. The young brunette that enjoyed wearing pink blouses and frilly aprons- a sharp contrast to the hourglass suits Gary's own mother wore. Delia often invited Gary over to have lunch with her and Ash. But the man was a stranger. He was tall with dark slicked back hair and a young handsome face. Gary made note of the slim tux wondering just why such an expensive looking person would end up here in Pallet. Ash threw the ball and Gary wasn't paying attention. He only just managed to stretch out and have it graze pass his fingertips. Grumbling to himself, Gary stomped after the ball. He lifted it out of the muddy puddle it had rolled into. The grownups had risen their voices. Their words echoed across the small yard. "You have no right keeping him from me!" "He's not yours! Now leave!" Delia screamed throwing out her hand as if she need to point the way out. "He's not yours either, Delia! And one day, he'll let you know it." Delia made a move back towards the house, but the man wasn't finished. "That's your problem, isn't it? You think everyone's just an object to be had, don't you? Don't you? What about me? Am I just a tool you got tired of using?" She slapped him so hard that the air rang with the sound. Gary watched dumbfounded as the man stumbled back. "Over here, Gary! Here here!" called Ash. Through all his incessant shouting, Gary couldn't make out what they were saying anymore. Frustrated, Gary turned back to the smaller ebony haired boy. He bounced up and down- waving his arms excitedly. Tired of putting up with Ash's inability to catch, Gary purposely swung the ball as hard as he could- hard right. Mud trailed from his fingertips like blood. And the ball rolled out into the middle of the street. &&& &&& &&& &&& Pikachu came out of its pokeball angry. But he had half the sense to know that now was not the time to take it out on his master. Ash knelt beside the newly released pokemon with a smile on his face. And although Pikachu was relieved his master had not been seriously injured, he couldn't abate his fury at being cast into his pokeball. "We're in trouble, buddy," said Ash with a small smile. 'When aren't we?' Ash smiled again but even the smallest twitch of his lips sent a shockwave pain via his fashionable facial bruise. Pikachu gave his surroundings a once over, able to recognize immediately that they were prisoners. Chances were that whoever had captured Ash was not aware that he had kept a pokeball in his possession. So obviously, his master had something planned if he were bringing Pikachu back out. "Misty is fine. Or so I hope. She'll take care of the others," said Ash, as if continuing a conversation they had already been having. "I'm not sure what White Ice wants with us... wants with me. As much as I can gather is that they want to ransom me off." Pikachu listened, remotely, as he climbed up onto Ash's cot. He scanned the room for various exit points. His eyes momentarily fell on some electronic boxes hanging in the corner. 'Pikapi...' "For imitation purposes only," said Ash acknowledging the security cameras Pikachu had pointed out. "I checked them out. Fakes. It's almost as if they think we can't get out of here." 'Or they expect us to.' Although Pikachu wasn't sure Ash really could understand what he was saying, the boy was given pause. He stood at the edge of the bed peering at the security cameras- no, his eyes were focused a bit left of the cameras. To the only door in the room- a small bathroom courteously provided by their hosts. Pikachu inclined his head, 'Problem?' "I... I think I might have found," Ash walked towards the bathroom and pushed the door open wider, staring up at the bathroom ceiling. A smile stole across his face, "...a way out." Pikachu leapt down from the cot and climbed up Ash's leg to his shoulder. From this position he could see exactly what his master had been smiling about. There was a ventilation shaft directly above the toilet. 'More conveniences,' frowned the pokemon. &&& &&& &&& &&& Giovanni really wished that girl had not woken up. From the very instant that she came back into consciousness in her friend Gary's arms, she had sent nothing but dirty looks his way. It was hard enough having to face his wife and his son's childhood friend. But facing this red head without a pokemon in the waiting sidelines felt like walking in a sniper's sights. They decided to debrief in one of the back rooms away from any unwanted eyes. Just because there was a decline in the pokemon trainers didn't mean that there wouldn't be any challengers this afternoon. And knowing his luck lately, Giovanni didn't want to take the chance of being walked in on when talking about such delicate information. Giovanni waited until all three of the other occupants had taken a seat around the table before choosing a seat himself. Of course, he chose one the farthest from Misty as possible, seating himself at the end of the table with Gary and Delia on his either side. The red envelope and printed ransom note lay exposed on the table before them, as if they were about to perform an autopsy. "Tell us what's on the ransom note, Giovanni," said Misty almost immediately. She certainly cut to the chase. Gary had scooted closer to her and rested his hand on her arm. As if she needed some sort of comfort in harassing the gym leader. Giovanni found Gary's condolences rather ill placed but said nothing. Giovanni had just opened his mouth to speak when Delia suddenly spoke for him. "The items on the ransom note are non-negotiable, of course," said Delia. "But I am also afraid that handing either said items to these people would be disastrous in the long run." Gary and Misty cast their questioning stares from Delia and then back to Giovanni- suddenly realizing that they themselves were now more in the dark about the situation than previously. "So you tell her and not us?" Misty snapped. "It's fine Misty I'll-" "No. No, it's not fine. What is your connection to the Ketchum family, Giovanni?" interrupted the indignant redhead. "Why was the ransom addressed to you?" The room went still. Luckily Misty didn't notice that even Gary had gone slightly pale. Only Giovanni seemed to regain composure. He cleared his throat loudly, "I'm afraid I'm disinclined to answer your question at this time," Misty harrumphed but Giovanni continued undaunted. "However- I will tell you that the items on the ransom note are dangerous battering chips. Even in exchange for your friend Ash, I'm afraid Ash is not worth the items they ask for." He waited for someone to disagree but his captured audience said nothing in defense. Giovanni continued, "The blueprints are for a machine that can harness pokemon energies to use them for human practices. And the location..." He paused, looking to Delia. She nodded encouragingly. "Is of a pokemon known as Mew... Two." "Mewtwo?" repeated Gary taking the words right out of Misty's mouth. "Yes. He was... an experiment of mine. A genetically enhanced improvement upon the original." "A clone." Giovanni scowled disapprovingly at the brunette. "Yes, in crude terms. But he was far more than just a clone. Mewtwo was... the perfect pokemon. In physique, mind and prowess. He was my most prized possession." Gary suddenly stood up from the table in a noisy clatter. Giovanni exhaled a irritable sigh, "Yes. Yes, that one." Misty pulled down on Gary's arm so that he sat back down. She whispered a few words that seemed to console him. But not enough to truly make him okay with the pokemon's mention. "Are they going to kill it?" asked Gary with certain venom. His arms were shaking. "Fortunately no," said Giovanni, his eyebrows raised at the boy's loss of equanimity. "They'll most likely siphon its superior abilities so that they can... well. I'm not quite sure what they'd do with that sort of power. But I'm sure it wouldn't be a good thing." "Well... I'd say the bitch's first course of action would be to kill me and Ash," said Delia with a coyish smile. Giovanni sent her look that merely made Delia hide her smile behind her hand. "Why? What bitch?" Misty glowered when Giovanni once again looked to Delia for permission. "Her name is Andromeda," said Delia without meeting Giovanni's eye. "She was an... old friend of John and I... Before the psycho-bitch tried to kill me." "What she means is," interceded Giovanni. "That we had an unfortunate falling out." Delia offered a strained smile, "Yes, real unfortunate." "Will they even keep Ash alive then?" Giovanni met Misty's eye. Perhaps on some level he could respect her concern. She cared. So was Ash like his father or his mother when returning those affections? "They will." "How do you know that?" "I know these people. This woman," He sent Delia a swift stare that said his opinion wasn't meant to be commented on. "They'll keep him alive even if he pisses them off." Gary chuckled. "Should probably say when not if." &&& &&& &&& &&& "Do you see anything?" Pikachu poked its small head back out of the opened grate in the ceiling. The small smirk on its face interpreted his preceding pikas, "It's a go." Ash stepped up onto the toilet seat. He thanked puberty for the gracious gain in height. His arms easily reached inside the air duct. Hoping that the shaft would hold his weight, Ash pulled himself up by his elbows. He was pleasantly surprised by the size of the shaft. "We hit the jackpot, pikachu." "It's awfully convenient isn't it?" Ash climbed the rest of the way up, having just enough room to crawl his away along the vent. Unfortunately the movement was fairly obvious. Unlike pikachu who soundlessly traveled the metallic tunnel, Ash's crawl sounded like an incoming elephant stampede. Deciding to sacrifice speed for silence, Ash let pikachu wander ahead of him. He instead focused on sliding his legs and arms across the vent- moving at an agonizingly slow pace but a quiet one. For a long while, Ash didn't even dare speak to his exploring partner. The air ducts would probably echo with any sound he made. And without knowing if the rooms below were occupied or not, it was dangerous to even sneeze. At last he heard his pokemon whisper back to him, "Pikapi." He saw his yellow partner ahead peering over a closed grate. Light filtering from it lit up its face in an eerie way. Whatever was down below seemed to be causing him some sort of concern. "What is it, Pikachu?" Pikachu fixed his master with a meaningful stare. "Someone below is... calling for you." &&& &&& &&& &&& Gary drummed his fingers against the table impatiently. So far the conversation had come to nothing substantial. Although they knew what the items on the ransom note were now, it only seemed to prove Giovanni's claim that they could not possibly fill it. At least not without severe repercussions. "The longer we waste here, the longer Ash is imprisoned," snapped Misty suddenly interrupting a debate between Ash's parents. "And who knows what they could be doing to him! We need a plan now!" Delia frowned and then returned her gaze to Giovanni, "Which will it be, John?" "The location would be the logical choice," piped Gary glad that the argument had turned in his favor. "The machine is far more harmful than that beast they want. Let them deal with it. Who's to say they'll even be able to catch it if they find it." "No. The location is not negotiable. I cannot surrender Mewtwo to those... I just can't. If any human will ever see that creature again, it will be me." The other three stared at Giovanni. Only Misty was able to put her opinion to words, "How incredibly selfish." "You don't understand-" "No. No, I understand completely. And that's what disgusts me. You'd rather a human life be lost than someone getting a head up on you- is that what I am to understand- is that what I'm hearing, Giovanni?" "Certainly sounds that way," said Delia with equal disdain. Gary cleared his throat loudly to prevent another exchange from delaying their decision making. Then he offered a bit of a wild card, "Is there any way we could not fill the ransom and still ensure Ash's safety?" "Nothing without some cinema magic unfortunately," said Delia. "If we don't provide the goods they ask for, they'll hurt Ash. Make no mistake. She likes to hurt people." The room fell silent once again. Until a smooth voice said, "There is one way." Giovanni anticipated a response. But the room remained silent, eyes almost hungrily upon him. "We'd have to provide an exchange. One hostage for another." "Forget that," said Misty immediately standing up from the table. "I'm not kidnapping anyone. And exchanging them for Ash! That's horrible!" "I have to agree, John. That's barbaric... to even suggest." "Who could we even use that they'd trade for?" "I'd be the hostage," interrupted Giovanni. Delia gently gripped his arm. He couldn't tell if it were out of sympathy or not. But Misty, oh the how the redhead had begun to smile. "I'd be okay with that." "I wouldn't," snapped Gary. Everyone else around the table appeared shocked by the indignation that had flared his cheeks red. Giovanni most of all. "First off, they would never accept that trade. If you're willing to sacrifice yourself for him... they'll never let him go. They'll only ask for more. And second, what makes you think Ash would be okay with your decision?" Gary roughly snatched the ransom note off the table and flung it at the gym leader's face. Giovanni only just caught it, bewildered at Gary's fury. "Pick one. And stop being an asshole." &&& &&& &&& &&& Of course, Ash didn't understand a word Pikachu said. But he did understand that something about the room was bothering his friend. Ash crawled up next to the grate Pikachu was peering through. The room below didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary. He could see what appeared to be a couple of shelves, and a research table cluttered with various flasks and books. From this bird's eye view, he couldn't see what could possibly be causing Pikachu's vexation. "I don't see anything, buddy." Pikachu only continued to paw at the vent. Giving in to his pokemon's insistence, Ash pried off the grate and set it aside. Pikachu wasted no time, immediately leaping into the instant he got it free. Pikachu landed expertly on the table below. He sent only one look back up at his master that clearly said 'come on' before scampering out of sight. "Pikachu! Pikachu!" Ash hissed after his pokemon. But clearly getting no response, Ash gave up. He carefully lowered his legs over the side of the opening. Once his legs were dangling, he held himself up by his arms, skillfully swinging himself down just south of the table Pikachu came in on. There was no need for his adolescent weight to break the table and give off their position. Once on the floor, Ash began to see why Pikachu had been so troubled by the room. At first, it appeared pretty harmless. There were of research tables lining the room like stripes on a prison jumpsuit; bookshelves, computers and science equipment that looked too expensive to even risk touching. It wasn't until his eyes fell upon where pikachu had scampered off to that he was given pause. Ash inhaled sharply. Before him stood a massive tank with equipment and wires running all through it connected to wall computers and monitors. And in the tank hung one small pokemon no bigger than pikachu. It had a pale pink skin and a cat like appearance. Ash suddenly felt ill. "Mew," He whispered. &&& &&& &&& &&& Ash remembered that he squeezed his eyes shut before impact. He always did it. Before falling, before taking a punch, before hitting the ground. As if by doing so, he could wish it all away. Most people called it flinching. An instinct. A second where he regretted getting himself in the situation he was in. Even at five years old, Ash had always flinched. He never felt the car hit him. But he was tossed. He clutched the ball tight to his stomach, feeling it crush into him as he rolled. The skin on his elbows and knees caught on the pavement. His mind shut down. When the world stopped turning, Ash dared to peek. There was a person holding him tightly. He was bleeding very badly, but his eyes were soft, warm and unafraid. "Are you alright?" The stranger said. "Yes," answered Ash before fainting. "Thank you." To Be Continued... Please Read and Review!