Chapter 4: The Price of Murder

	"Shit!" Raynor's glove-covered fist slammed into the center of the tree at 
full speed.  His blood was flowing with anger at that moment, his heart seething 
with hatred for that double-crosser Giovanni.  And at the same time he was 
afraid...afraid of what might happen to his family, his little sister, if he did 
not follow Giovanni's orders to the letter.  He was now indebted to a man whose 
only goal was to destroy everything he cared about.  He had already taken care 
of Knife Edge, his brethren, the organization he was supposed to die for.  Now 
all that remained was his flesh and blood relatives.  Nothing would happen to 
them, not while he was still alive.

Several Miles away, Yazaki Town in the Southern rim of the Kaji Region was 
falling victim to violent Pokemon outbreaks.  Without warning, Pokemon were 
turning on their trainers and striking them down with every attack available to 
them.  There was no escape for any of them, from the eldest resident to the 
youngest child.  It was almost as if the order to kill on sight had been 
programmed into their brains.  When it was all over, only the Pokemon remained, 
and then suddenly, as if orchestrated as such, they all fell over as one and 
became as lifeless as the trainers, men, women, and children they had just 
attacked.

"What do you mean all the Pokemon are dead?"  Colonel Tames bellowed back into 
the telephone receiver?

"We don't know what to make of it sir, but when we got there, all of the bodies 
on sight were dead.  And the strangest part of it is that there were no marks on 
the bodies of the Pokemon."  Colonel Tames didn't know what to make of this.

"Say that again?"

"There were no marks on the Pokemon.  We have no idea what killed these them."  
There was no explanation for all of this.  It didn't make any sense.  'What in 
the hell is going on?' the Colonel thought to himself.

"What about Prime Minister Akagi?  Did he make it out alive?"

"Negative, sir.  Seems like he was the primary target here."  'That makes five 
high-profile assassinations in the last month,' the Colonel thought in his head, 
'but why kill all of those people just to get one man?' 

"Alright, now listen to me.  I want you to bring back the best Pokemon specimen 
to the lab for testing.  And retrieve the Prime Ministers body and prep it for 
burial.  And Private."

"Yes, sir?"  

"Watch yourself out there.  If anything goes south out there you get back to 
base on the double."

"Yes, sir!"  The Colonel hung up the phone almost before the private could get 
the 'sir' out.  The Colonel had never been more confused in his life.  In 2 days 
he was supposed to go in front of the counsel in order to give them a report on 
the LEAGUE Force progress in this matter and he had little to no new knowledge 
on what was causing the problem or how to prevent similar outbreaks from 
occurring.

"Deckard!"  An attendant standing outside the Colonel's door came inside.

"Yes, sir?"

"Get me a list of all high ranking officials that are going to be away on 
official business within the next 2 weeks.  Don't leave anyone out.  Get some 
extra copies and send them over to the Pokemon League members as well."

"Is that all, sir?"  Was that all?  The must be something more the Colonel could 
do.

"Send a containment party out to the Yazaki town area and tell them to shut it 
down.  Nothing goes in or out."  The Colonel saw confusion in the man's eyes.  

"Is there a problem Deckard?"

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Granted."

"What is the point of sending a containment party to a zone filled with dead 
people?"

"Until we know what is causing this outbreak, we must take every precaution to 
prevent it from spreading.  For all we know, humans could be carriers of this 
disease.  Think of the potential risk to anyone who comes in contact with a 
person carrying it.  We need to take the proper precautions.  Now carry our my 
orders!"

"Yes, sir."  And Deckard left his office without asking any more questions.  The 
Colonel muttered to himself little piss ant, what does he know?'  And deep down 
inside, the Colonel knew the answer.  He knew that Deckard was smart enough to 
realize that the containment party story was bullshit.  He knew that Deckard 
realized that no one, not even the Colonel himself, knew what was really going 
on.  And he was afraid that Deckard also knew that, at that moment in time, 
there was no way to stop it.

Giovanni had wasted no time, and, as to be expected, he was very happy with the 
results of his labors.  He slowly took a sip of his vodka martini, letting it 
willingly invade his senses by rolling it around his mouth and letting it slide 
down his throat, as he watched the chaotic scenes dance across the computer 
monitors.

"You see my little pet," he said to Kara, Raynor's 11 year old sister, "this is 
what your brother is a part of: a revolution of epic proportions.  And if he 
plays his cards right, he and you will come out very wealthy."

"When do I get to see my brother?"  Kara yelled back with a fury shadowed only 
by that of her brother.

"Temper, temper child.  You have quite a big mouth on you," he was still 
thoroughly enjoying his martini.  "You see, your brother and I have a 
little...arrangement.  Now, if he does exactly what I tell him to then you 
should be able to see him shortly after that."

"And if not?"  Kara asked.

"Well, let's just say, your brother won't have any more obligation to our 
cause."  And before Stacy could even respond, two figures, Remus and Sky, 
dropped from the ceiling and grabbed her by the arms, tugging each one until 
they were taught and she was immobile.  Remus grabbed the knife in his pocket 
and began to press it up to the little girls throat.  "Believe me, I hope it 
doesn't have to be this way.  I hate to have to kill such a beautiful and 
innocent creature such as yourself, but a deal is a deal..." Giovanni leans in 
very close to Stacy's face, "...and I always keep my end of the deal."
Stacy sees the seriousness in Giovanni's eyes, the almost diabolical whimsy in 
his smile, and half full martini glass in his hand...what might be the last 
image she sees.  And before she knows what's in her best interest...

"RAYNOR!" she screams... 
 
	A world away, as if linked telepathically, Raynor knows the pain his 
sister is feeling.  He understands what she must be going through, the prison 
that she is in.  He is there too, locked into a deal that he cannot get out of.  
And whatever he chooses next, will either seal her fate, or his.
	"Don't worry Kara...big bro is gonna come for ya.  Just hold on..."