Nine
(All I see is an unfamiliar ceiling.)
The jungle air felt heavy around him. Tall, red plants brushed against his shoulders, their stiff blades parting to make way for his body. He walked across the field with purpose, his feet pressing into the moist earth of the road as his eyes fixed on the glow of a city. For the umpteenth time, he adjusted the strap of a satchel on his shoulder. He knew he had only a few more hours before he found shelter at last.
A whistle sounded above him. Instinctively, he looked up at the red sky. Normally, it would have nothing but the brilliant sun and the emerald moon in it, but now, there were black stars – hundreds of them scattered across the red expanse above him.
Green light shone from each black star until the planet was engulfed in its glow.
A second later, the ground exploded.
---
Bill jolted and opened his eyes, but he knew he wasn't awake. He turned his head, watching green curls spill across his eyes as he stared towards the open window. For a moment, he watched as white curtains softly rustled in the warm breeze. His body felt heavy as he struggled to move, so all he succeeded in doing was lift his hands.
The movement caught the attention of the room's other occupant, who was soon staring down at Bill with an expressionless face. It took a moment for Bill to finally turn to glance at the parasite.
That dream, he thought.
I was…
It nodded in response. "You were remembering something."
What?
The parasite closed its eyes. "Something ancient."
Its fingers reached down to caress Bill's stomach. Instantly, a sharp, stabbing pain radiated from the spot. He couldn't scream, but his mouth fell open in a silent gasp as he felt his skin prickle and warm.
"Burns," the parasite said with a sigh. "I ask you to carry us, and you carry us directly into danger. Perhaps I should reconsider having you as my host."
Tears formed in Bill's eyes as the parasite touched the other places where fire had hit him. Each one began to feel warm, as if hundreds of hot needles were piercing his flesh.
What are you doing? he asked.
The parasite narrowed its eyes. "You might as well know. When my kind fuses with yours, we grant you numerous powers to keep you alive. On our own, our parasite forms can lay fertile eggs, but those only hatch into other parasites. In order to rebuild our species, we need you to breed and produce eggs that will hatch into our true forms."
Your true forms…
"Did you think we all are tiny insects?" the parasite asked with a smile. "Those are simply our cores – storage centers for our memories, our thoughts, and our genetic codes. They are our second brains, only body parts in the same way your arm is not your complete you."
Bill glanced at his arm. He forced himself to lift it just enough to bring it into view. To his surprise, he watched as a burn – one the parasite had already touched – slowly shrank into healthy skin and tissue.
What…?
The parasite sat on the edge of the bed and propped its chin with a palm. "Rapid regeneration and healing. It is one of the many gifts we give our hosts."
Bill rested his arm across his chest as he stared at the ceiling in thought.
Flight… healing…
"Overwhelming, isn't it?" the parasite replied. "All of these blessings and more that you have yet to find. Anything to keep you alive. My race is extinct otherwise."
Extinct?
It nodded. "That memory you experienced. That was the last moment of our planet before it was destroyed."
For a long moment, Bill turned the words over in his mind again and tried to recall the memory. Already, it was fading from him like an old dream. The parasite stood and began walking towards the window, and the further it got, the more Bill felt as if he was falling asleep again.
Wait, he thought.
It looked over its shoulder. "Hmm?"
What do I call you?
The creature smiled. "Your kind gave me a name. Do you recall what those soldiers called the two of us before we were sent here?"
Bill furrowed his eyebrows as he struggled to remember.
Adam?
"My kind does not normally name its people," it said, "but that name… I think I will take."
Bill closed his eyes and felt his mind drift away.
Adam… humans have stories about him. He's the first man.
Adam grinned. "So he is."
---
For a second time, Bill awoke. Once again, he found himself on a bed, staring at a ceiling. He shifted, feeling the soft mattress. His eyes closed, and he inhaled. It was the first time in a long time he felt genuinely comfortable.
Then, something jumped on the bed. Opening his eyes, he found himself staring at the face of a squirtle. At once, he drew in a startled breath as he tried to sit up, but before he could fully get up, he felt something stiff jam itself into his back. Pain radiated from his shoulder blades as he reached back and pulled the smooth object to the side. With one eye open, he glanced at it to find two silver blades.
My wings, he thought.
Adam…
Inside him, Adam stirred.
Just think about retracting them, and they will obey.
Lying back, he closed his eyes briefly and concentrated on the image of his wings disappearing. A pressure radiated from his back as he felt the blades draw themselves into two points near his shoulders. With what felt like a pinch, his wings disappeared, and all he felt beneath him was the mattress.
A sigh escaped his throat as he carefully sat up and glanced at the squirtle again. It tilted its head as it held up a small, silver thermos. Blinking, Bill accepted the thermos and stared at it for a moment.
"Thank you," he murmured.
Then, he twisted off the cap. Immediately, the scent of blood flooded his nose, and he flinched in disgust. At the same time, his stomach growled, and his body felt weak. Slowly, he turned back to it.
"All right," he hissed at himself.
He took a sip, feeling the blood slide down his throat and warm him from the inside. Within him, he could swear he saw Adam relax like a cat, curling around his mind with an internal purr. A wave of relief washed over Bill. He felt as if for the first time, the thing that shared his body with him would leave him alone, even for a moment.
Taking another sip, he glanced to the rest of the room. The bed was covered with a pastel-colored quilt, and that was only the beginning of how quaint the rest of the room was. A warm breeze filtered through the windows across the way, and the white curtains swayed with each zephyr. Shelves were built into the pale blue walls, and atop them were leather-bound books.
Then, he finally noticed he wasn't alone in the room. Beside him, in a wooden chair, sat Rose. He jumped, startled to see her without Veronica. She stared back at him with wide eyes and a small smile on her face. Squirtle jumped into her lap, and she wrapped her arms around it like a doll.
Bill blinked and took another sip. "Rosie, you surprised me. Are you all right?"
She nodded. That same smile remained on her face.
At that point, he began to feel slightly uncomfortable. "Where are we? Where's Veronica?"
Rose pursed her lips and lowered her eyes to her squirtle for a moment. Then, she turned her head to glance towards the door.
"Out there?" Bill replied.
She nodded and turned back to him. The shy smile returned once more. By then, Bill had to glance at her oddly.
"You're smiling," he finally said. "Is it because you're used to me now?"
For a moment, Rose looked down at her squirtle. She pursed her lips one more time before looking back to her brother as he took another sip. A broad smile crossed her face as she opened her mouth and spoke.
"Your wings make you look like a fairy."
Bill nearly choked on his drink in response.
---
The cottage sat beyond the canyons, nestled against a rock wall on a slope of grass. Forest stretched to the northwest, and to the south, there was desert. In the middle, just where the foothills stretched between the desert and the forest, Veronica found the cottage empty. The old woman who once lived there was completely gone, save for a hand in the front yard that the officer quickly buried before Rose could see it.
For the past several days, she had been hunting in the forests. With her growlithe by her side, she tracked down and slaughtered any wild pokémon she came across. Part of her felt guilt over what she was doing, if only because it was a crime to kill pokémon. Still, she knew if she didn't, her companion would die, and she and the girl would be as good as dead or infected.
At that point, she approached the cottage with a machop under one arm. The machop was already dead, its throat ripped open thanks to Veronica's growlithe. It was just a matter of taking it back to the cottage to drain its blood and figure out what to do with the rest at that point.
When Veronica reached the door, a cool breeze blew across the back of her neck, carrying with it the sound of a rustle. She stopped, glancing over her shoulder towards its source as her growlithe crouched low to the ground and began to growl. Narrowing her eyes, Veronica stared towards the trees near the cottage, but nothing out of the ordinary appeared. Shrugging, she opened the door and slipped inside, followed close by her dog.
With a sigh, she walked briskly from the empty foyer to the kitchen on the right. Carefully, she placed the carcass of the machop on the blue-tiled countertop, right next to the old stains from the day before then. Ignoring the splotches, she began to open the cabinets in search of bowls or cups – anything to catch the blood.
Behind her, Growlithe barked. She turned and found the dog with his fore paws on Rose's legs as she stood in the doorway. The girl smiled and bent down to pet the police dog on the head. With her own smile, Veronica turned from the cabinet with a bowl in hand.
"You look cheerful today," she commented. "What is it?"
Rose straightened and smiled at Veronica. "Nii-san is awake."
"You're talking now? That's good," the officer said with a blink. "Nii-san? You mean Bill?"
She nodded.
Veronica turned away and opened a drawer in search of a knife. "Good. Maybe we'll be able to get to Fallarbor once he's back on his feet." She paused, drawing a long knife from the depths of the drawer. "Go into the other room and keep him company, Rose. Tell him another cup's coming his way soon."
"That won't be necessary."
At the sound of the new voice, Veronica looked up to find Bill standing behind Rose. Slipping the knife back into the drawer, Veronica glanced at Rose.
"Why don't you go into the other room anyway?" she asked. "Go play with Numel and Squirtle for awhile. Bill's got to take care of this."
The girl nodded and moved past her brother and out the door. Bill watched her leave for a moment before stepping into the room.
"She's talking now," Bill murmured.
Veronica nodded. "Yeah. She calls you 'Nii-san.'" She motioned to the carcass. "Lunch?"
He smiled. "Yes. It means 'older brother.' Our mother taught it to her." Then, he hesitated as the question sunk into his head. "Lunch?"
"Mmhmm." Veronica motioned again to the carcass. "You really should feed. We're not that far away from Fallarbor, but it's not an easy journey, either."
She backed away from the counter to let him see the carcass. At once, his eyes widened when he realized what she was asking him to do. Then, he turned away.
"No, thank you," he said quietly. "I'm not hungry."
A frown crossed her face as she walked forward and blocked his way to the door. Her hands gripped both sides of the doorframe as he stopped short, drew in a breath, and turned. His movements, unfortunately, were a little too quick, and in the next instant, his back hit the refrigerator behind him with a bang as his vision swam. Closing his eyes, he reached up to hold his head. Veronica took notice at once and narrowed her eyes.
"You haven't even recovered all the way," she said. "You need this. You know you do."
He shook his head. "No, I'm all right. I just need a moment."
Veronica rolled her eyes. "Sure you do. And I can breathe underwater. Listen, you'd better go over there and drink, or I'm going to pin you down and force that body on you."
Bill drew his hand away from his head and glared at Veronica. "Would you not put it that way? Rosie can hear you."
"Get your mind out of the gutter. She's eleven."
For a long moment, the two stared at each other with hard glares in a silent battle of wills. After a few moments, it was Veronica who won as Bill sighed and turned away. He walked quietly to the counter and stared at the body for a moment before glancing back at Veronica. She raised her eyebrows and nodded towards him.
"I'd rather you didn't watch," Bill said. "Could you…"
"No, I can't," Veronica replied. "If you're going to be a baby about this—"
Bill straightened. "I beg your pardon?"
Veronica smirked. "You heard me."
In response, he raised an eyebrow. "You're being rather forward today."
"Well, you deserve it," Veronica replied with a shrug. "Look, we need you fully recovered if we're going to start for Fallarbor anytime soon. We're not that far from it. We just need to head west from here, past the ash fields. But even if it's not far, it's not going to be easy. From here, the entire place is covered in ash from Mt. Chimney, and there's no alternate route. We could be ambushed at any time by anything, so we need all of our pokémon in fighting condition."
Bill frowned slightly at the thought of being called a pokémon. As a human, he would have taken it as a compliment, but now that he was stuck as he was, the term seemed less appealing. Still, he couldn't argue against it. Instead, what made his hands curl on the counter were the last three words Veronica had said.
"Fighting… you want me to fight?" he whispered.
"Um… yeah?" Veronica raised an eyebrow. "You
are an ixodida. You've got powers, don't you? You're just as good a defense as the other pokémon are. Probably even better than my gun at this point."
A cold, uncomfortable feeling settled in Bill as he looked away. "Veronica… I can't actually fight."
After a beat of hesitation, she furrowed her eyebrows. "What? What do you mean? I saw you in Mau—"
"That wasn't me." Bill sighed. "Do you recall how I said I can hear the parasite inside me? Occasionally, it takes control. That… that was one of those times."
Veronica stiffened. "You mean, when you went completely insane and tried to maul that other ixodida…"
He nodded. "That wasn't actually me."
"****."
Bill looked up, giving Veronica a forced smile. "I know."
Veronica's arms loosened. "So… you're basically useless unless that thing is in control of you?"
At that, Bill raised an eyebrow. "I find it ironic that I tell you I have a homicidal second personality in a body well-equipped for lethal damage, and the thing you're more concerned about is the fact that I can't fight unless it's dominant." Then, after a beat of pause, he added, "No, I don't know how to access any of its attacks."
She shrugged. "Well, you – or, well, that thing – never hurt Rose or me."
"It never had a chance," Bill said with a shake of his head. "What makes you think that if left unchecked, it couldn't attack you as well?"
"Growlithe and Numel." Veronica shrugged again.
Bill tilted his head. "How do you know they'll be able to protect you from me?"
"You're a steel-type."
With that, Veronica pulled away from the door and walked forward. Before Bill could realize what she was trying to do, she grabbed him by the arms and forced him to turn. When his back pressed against the counter, one of her hands drifted towards his stomach.
"We found you with burns on your—"
She paused and rested a hand where the armor had been melted over Bill's stomach. What she found instead was smooth plating, fully repaired as if nothing had happened. He looked down.
"Huh," she said. "It's gone."
Bill nodded. "It's… ah… it's apparently one of the powers the parasite has."
Veronica looked up, into Bill's face. He stared back as he felt the skin of his face grow hot in a blush. She raised her eyebrows and smiled as her hand trailed up his body to his shoulder. Biting her lip, she leaned in, pressing herself against him.
"You're… you're awfully close," Bill whispered.
"Mmm." Veronica grinned. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"
Bill swallowed hard and closed his mouth. He found he couldn't push himself to speak. Instead, he shook his head.
Veronica nodded. "Good."
And then, she grabbed one of his arms, pulled back, and swung Bill around until he slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the kitchen. He winced and slid to the floor, and once he hit the tiles, he opened an eye painfully and glanced towards Veronica. Calmly, she stood with her hands on her hips.
"See, that's why I'm confident we'll have no problem keeping you in check," she said. "Parasite or not, I can take you."
Then, she picked up the machop carcass, walked over, and dropped it onto his lap.
"Drink up, or the next place you're going is in the ceiling," she said.
He could only stare blankly at her for a long moment. Then, without taking his eyes off her or changing his shocked expression, he lifted the carcass and bit into its neck.
---
In the middle of the forest, all was quiet. The only sign of life, other than an occasional flash of red across the forest floor, was a shadowed figure sitting in the black branches of a tree. A faint glow from the screen of a laptop illuminated her pale face, and her purple eyes fixed on one of its windows as an image within it waited for her words.
"Adam hasn't moved for a week," she said. "He's still in that house on Route 111."
On the other end of the connection, Nettle frowned. "Yes, the tracking device could have told me that. Are you ready?"
"Almost," the grunt replied. "I just need to test it."
"Test it on Adam," Nettle hissed.
Although the subordinate wanted to cringe, she managed to keep her composure and nod instead. "Yes, ma'am." Then, after a short pause, she added, "Ma'am, if I may ask, why am I reporting to you instead of an officer or the boss?"
Nettle closed her eyes on the screen. "Adam was assigned to me by our leader as my personal project, and I would find it more productive if you didn't question my authority."
The grunt nodded again. "Yes, ma'am."
"Be ready and attack tomorrow evening," Nettle added. "Report to me only after you've gotten the results."
Before the grunt could respond, the window went blank as Nettle cut off the call. The Rocket frowned and turned her head to glance at the hulking shadow beside the tree.
"Well," she muttered, "tomorrow's our big day."