Chapter #4: Sitting at his office computer, Banner stared at a blank text document and desperately wracked his brain for a way to explain the complex nature of the Jenova virus in a simplified manner. He knew that the data in its purest form would boggle the minds of most people. The problem was how to express the data in a way that the average person would understand. “Gardevoir.” “Yes doctor.” the mirage replied as it materialized beside him. “I'm currently in the process of organizing the data on the Jenova project for Wesker's people but am having problems simplifying the material on the virus' complex nature in a way they could understand.” “Why not start from the beginning and work forward from there.” 'The beginning' Banner thought with a snort. Such a topic was just as difficult to explain accurately as it was to explain how the virus affected living creatures. If memory served, the whole affair began with the discovery of meteorite fragments in the Hoenn region two years before. At first, the meteorite's discovery wasn't very spectacular however, it was later found out that the recovered fragments contained unusual properties. Due to these properties, the fragments were called 'shadow stones'. Upon closer examination, it was discovered that these shadow stones were in fact the crystallized form of a powerful virus. This virus was capable of inducing incredible mutations within living creatures exposed to it. “Perhaps it would be easier to display the material in a slide show format with audio commentary to highlight important details.” Gardevoir spoke up. Banner nodded thoughtfully to himself before speaking. “What was the date that the meteor was discovered?” “July 15, 1998.” Gardevoir replied. “When was the first shadow pokémon created?” “October 17, 1999.” As he recalled, the virus' unique properties were first discovered by accident when it was injected into a living specimen by mistake. If memory served, the first shadow pokémon to be created was a Buizel. What had been most fascinating about the situation was that the specimen received an increase in its overall stamina and power as well as enhancements to its other natural abilities. During this time, it was discovered that these enhancements came at the cost of its heart. “And when was the first wraith created?” “October 21, 1999; why do you ask?” Ah yes, the infamous wraith. The creature's were in fact a byproduct of the virus' unique properties. These creatures also received an increase in overall stamina and power much like shadow pokémon did. The enhancements however, lead to psychotic breakdowns, to the pokémon involved, so violent as to make them completely uncontrollable. If memory served, the first wraith to be created was a Riolu. The only reason they existed at all was because a young research assistant named Luther Krane had lobbied for a chance to study them more closely. In his own opinion however, the creatures should all be destroyed because they were too unstable for anyone to be around. “With all that has happened, it's sometimes hard to recall all the clerical details.” Banner replied as he began typing. As he worked, Banner reflected on the unique side-study that had occurred as a result of the creation of the clones. As he recalled, HX-1 was currently confined to Bio Lab #2 because of an incident it was involved in that was similar to the psychotic breakdowns usually associated with wraith. HX-2 however, was an entirely different matter. Although the creature had its own unique quirks, he was pleased to note that this clone seemed to be developing appropriately. It certainly wasn't a threat like the wraith would be if they were ever released. He attributed the creature's unusual height of five and a half feet and it's exotic eyes to the human donor's DNA. He'd also taken notice of the creature's continuing interactions with humans; particularly to the young caretaker, Alice Sanada as he recalled. The woman had even named the creature "Aerithtwo" if he remembered correctly. It was a fitting name Banner thought absently. Besides the creature's eye color, he couldn't help but wonder what part of the host's personality, if any, HX-1 had received as a result of the transfer process. Without thinking, Banner typed a command on his computer and brought up the side by side comparison of the clones in a separate window. As he gazed over the material, Banner typed another command on his computer and brought up each of the clone's donor information sheets. Banner couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow as he recalled that the human subjects used in the creation of the base for each clone were siblings. As a result, the clones were undoubtedly the purest possible form of siblings that nature could provide. “So, similar yet so different.” he commented to himself dryly. Marking the information for use as a slide, Banner was determined to atone for past failures by aiding HX-2 in any way he could. If Alan Wesker and his so called 'R.R.T.S.' organization could somehow manage to save this particular pokémon then they had his support. It was the least he could do after all. “Gardevoir.” “Yes doctor.” “I need to know what sort of encryption protocols can by utilized to protect the data from unwanted access when I'm finished compiling.” “I could imprint a fraction of my intellect into the memory matrix of the first data disk. Although the process will likely damage my systems it would ensure that the material will only be accessed by authorized personnel.” “Make it so. I fear we're running out of time.” *************** Sitting in a corner of her enclosure, Aerithtwo sighed softly to herself before wincing. She felt tired, sore, hungry, and her head hurt. She wasn't sure if it was from the training or the weird dreams she’d been having; or possibly from the nightly conversations she’d been having with the mysterious psychic lurking somewhere around the lab. Every night, it seemed harder and harder to communicate, as though something was squelching her abilities. One night she'd asked her 'friend' if she maybe had any ideas on how to make it better, but the other pokémon only told her to be patient, and that things would get better soon. Aerithtwo simply responded that if things were going to get better, the least her so-called friend could do was come tell her to her face. She tended to get rather sick of the never-ending patience she received from her conversational companion. She should've been getting stronger. Each day, she gained a little more control over her unstable powers. By all rights, she should have reached new levels in strength by now. She hadn’t. Somehow, she’d gotten stuck along the way. It was frustrating, and Aerithtwo spent much of her free time trying to understand it. Alice offered little help, and there were times the pokémon found herself getting just as tired of the human as she was of the psychic that unknowingly taunted her with the freedom it enjoyed. In response, she focused her energy on learning. Whatever they tried to teach her, she learned, even if it seemed too difficult on her limited energy. Aerithtwo took some small comfort in the knowledge that she'd finally mastered the Recover skill. She remembered the expression Alice had worn when she'd first demonstrated the use of that particular skill. The reverie was interrupted by a sharp pain in her side. Glancing down, a definitive scowl crossed her face as Aerithtwo recalled the brutal training session she'd endured earlier that afternoon. She figured she had that right, at least, because Mitsuki had grown angry with her for some imaginary slight or another, and now the pokémon’s whole body hurt terribly. Suppressing a whimper, Aerithtwo forced her wounds to heal, finding, to her dismay that she couldn’t quite heal all the way this time. Groaning softly, she settled in for yet another long night.