Chapter Six: Two Penetrating Eyes
Back from my holiday. This is the result of writing ahead. :D
---
---
CHAPTER SIX: TWO PENETRATING EYES
"Let's go, Charlotte," said Bevan jovially.
"I thought you didn't feel like going."
"Heh – catching a Pokémon – it's given me a new burst of energy."
"Not so fast. You need to heal the Venonat." Bevan pulled out a metal rod about two inches long, and the width of a pin. He withdrew an Oran Berry from his bag, and pierced it deeply with the rod.
"What… are you doing?"
"This is an applier rod – it lets you use items on Pokémon while they're still in their balls."
"Of all the useless inventions," Charlotte snorted.
"No. Not useless. Pokéballs heal and relax Pokémon while they're inside. It's far better for Venonat if it isn't released from this state only to eat a disgusting medicinal berry. Then, when it comes out, it'll be more likely to cooperate." Bevan prodded the top of the Pokéball with the rod, and the instant he did this, the berry materialised into red energy, and was absorbed by the Pokéball.
"It was originally designed as a weapon by the Brain's department," said Bevan. "The idea being that you could stick this into a gun with a harmful item attached to it, and fire. Trouble was, any conscious Pokémon could reject the item, even while inside a Pokéball. So the project was abandoned."
"You mentioned
the Brain," said Charlotte, beginning to walk.
"Who's that?" The question, while being a simple one, struck Bevan as being oddly insincere.
"The Brain is an Oligarch," said Bevan, catching up. "Do you know about all the Oligarchs?"
"Only the ones that do press conferences. I obviously know about the Voice, your father, the Ears, the Nose, and the Hands."
"The other two are the Brain and the Eyes. The Brain basically heads the scientific arm, including the health system and the computer infrastructure-"
His explanation was cut off by him being suddenly lifted into the air, upside down by a rope. Although from Charlotte's perspective, it looked rather comical, from Bevan's it was painful and slightly humiliating.
"A little help?"
"Bevan, it's a simple trap. You need to learn how to escape these things yourself."
"You know, this hardly seems fair," said Bevan, awkwardly shaking off his bag and gripping it with one hand. As he rummaged around for a knife, he continued, "I'll set off all the traps, and everyone behind us can just run through."
"Nah, the traps are only this primitive early on. They get mechanical eventually." said Charlotte as Bevan started sawing the rope. "By the way, make sure you don't land on your knife or your tailbone when you fall."
"I'll keep that in mind," said Bevan, teeth gritted, halfway through the rope.
"Seriously, Bevan – I've been caught in one of these traps before – you have to breakfall."
"What?"
"Breakfall! With your position, you'll land on your back, so you need to spread the impact over as-"
Too late. Bevan fell, desperately twisting onto his side. "A-ow…"
"Are you OK?" Charlotte knelt down to examine him.
"I don't think anything's broken, but, that… hurt…" He awkwardly rose, pulling his bag back onto his back. Resuming walking (with Bevan's eyes studying the ground for traps), Charlotte struck up the conversation once again. "So, tell me more about the Oligarchs."
"Like I was saying, the Brain basically runs things like the health system, arms design, the internet, et cetera. My father didn't like him much."
"Oh?"
"He said that Simon – the Brain – was fanatically obsessed with all kinds of cruel and unusual experiments. He told me once of an experiment, where child twins were snatched from their home and put in separate rooms. One was given anaesthetic and attacked by a Haunter, using Nightmare, to see whether the other would feel pain. After a week of no results, they were both executed. My father… he accused him of being a sadist, a freak."
"That is…" Charlotte's features contorted in disgust.
"Horrible," agreed Bevan solemnly.
"And the Eyes – what about her?"
Totally missing the fact that Charlotte seemed to know the Eyes's gender, he explained her function. "My father… never talked much about her, but I do know that her first name is Susan. Her job is to run all the secret police agencies, including the Cloaks. Apparently she talks to the graduating Cloaks every year. It's the only thing remotely close to a press conference that she'll do.
"Even for an Oligarch, she's paranoid. Nobody except her personal guard see her outside of Cloak graduation and the monthly Oligarchy meetings. It was the source of major speculation as to what she was doing for a while – in fact, five years ago, it resulted in this strange rumour."
Charlotte's voice became a little higher. "Oh?"
"Yeah. People in upper government called him, well,
He who is Merely a Rumour. I also heard my dad once call him Lord… something or other. Apparently, he was this guy who was controlling all these people high in government, and one of the major suspects was Susan. Needless to say, those who spread this rumour were ruthlessly hunted down and killed."
The conversation was cut short by a beeping noise.
"Uh oh – duck!"
Two red lights on a small metallic box in the ground lit up, and four bladed discs were shot up into the air right in front of the duo.
"Growlithe!"
Trainer's instinct kicking in, Bevan did likewise. "Venonat!"
The discs looped in the air, and curved towards Bevan and Charlotte, two meant for each.
"Ember!"
"Confusion!"
Growlithe leapt forward and spat fiery saliva at the discs, melting their electronic tracking systems and sending them flailing off into completely different directions, one getting stuck in a tree, one flailing pathetically to the ground.
At the same time, Venonat shuddered, releasing a wave of invisible energy at the two dangerous discs, muddling their tracking systems. In the same way as the other two, they flew off helplessly into other directions.
"Nice," said Charlotte. Bevan had improved quickly. She noted this.
"Yeah, I knew about battle strategies and the like, but my first battles were so easy. I felt like I didn't need to use strategies. And then with you, when I needed them... my mind froze up, I guess. Theory and practice are far separated. My grandfather used to say that to my father."
"So, about the Eyes..."
"Yeah?"
"Do you know anything about her? Her personality?"
"Well, like I said – she is paranoid. But apparently in meetings, she would display a kind of detachment. According to my father, she would phase in and out, and when she did pay attention, it would always be to condescend the other Oligarchs, or tear apart their plans. I guess she was intelligent, but – well, I met her once myself."
"And?"
"I kind of got the impression like... only her body was in the room. Like when she was talking, it was a voiceover. Not literally... but, it's hard to describe. If you can imagine not living your own life, but observing it as it moves past, occasionally waking up, only to scold those around you. That's what she seemed like to me."
"How do these people get into power?" Charlotte's voice seemed rueful and dark.
"Huh?"
"Don't you think it's odd? Your father took away your mother, the Brain is a sadist, the Eyes is a schizoid, and from what I've seen of the other three - they don't exactly seem like model people to me."
"What do you think is happening?"
"I... don't know. But something has to change. Soon." She said this with fiery conviction. Bevan was sure that there was something more to this girl, something that she wasn't telling him. And, worst of all, he was beginning to realise something else. She was dangerous.
*
"Lord Augury, you wished to see me?"
"Susan, yes, please sit down."
The room was dark, as with most meetings with Lord Augury. Susan was wearing a thick black cloak, covering everything except her pale face. Her eyes were cold and grey.
"As you will know doubt have concluded on your own, something's not right with two of your colleagues, the Ears and the Brain. Lincoln's husband and daughter have both been killed, as has Gordon's sister."
"This is correct, my Lord."
Susan Adams had her own personal spies on every single Oligarch. She was certainly one of the most powerful and cunning political minds on the Council of Oligarchs; she had been there for the longest. She was sixty, but looked younger, with all kinds of chemicals injected in her to preserve her youth.
"I must ask that you withdraw this spy network."
"What? My Lord, this network gives me insight into the affairs of all the Oligarchs. It's what makes me so much more powerful than the others. I could order any one of them assassinated – and have done so several times before I met you."
"In any case, as you know, I have my own networks. On your computer, you'll find that you have access to everything you need."
"Are you trying to hide something from me?"
"No, but I don't trust your networks, when dealing with this topic. I have not met these people; I cannot discern psychically who they are and what they're up to, unless I meet every one. And you know better than to reveal all of your spies, even to me."
As Lord Augury said this, he telepathically induced fear and humility into this otherwise cruel and suspicious woman.
"Forgive me, my Lord."
"This Dagger terrorist knows that I'm controlling an Oligarch – he even knows the name Augury. He doesn't know which one. He's testing the other ones; seeing if they crack. And, in the process, creates disharmony amongst the Oligarchs. This is where you come in.
"I have ordered you to stop assassinations in the past, because it is dangerous. But, I may be forced to execute them myself. I need you to be on the lookout for signs of cracking. I will myself keep an eye open, but I need your help."
"Cracking? Why would they crack?"
"Remember last time? People got nervous. People who were suspected of working for me would occasionally pretend to be in on it
to protect themselves. Nobody is safe from those higher than them in Torcra. Nobody. The value of people thinking you have a supernatural, all-pervasive friend is incredibly high. So, they, not crack so much as... lie. Either way, it's very damaging."
"My Lord, this Dagger terrorist… he's like nobody we've ever dealt with before. He and his colleagues leave no trace. They can get past my best men. They have something that we don't. And, dare I say it, something that you don't."
"Yes, and I don't know what this is. But whatever they have, I have something better."
The furniture around Susan was lifted, twirled in the air, and thrown back to the ground. In that instant, a surge of rage rushed through Lord Augury.
Why must they always question my abilities?
"Do not think for a second," started Augury loudly, "that he is more capable than me. That I can't stop him."
"My Lord, I don't think anything so ridiculous," she replied honestly. "Please, keep your voice down. We don't need anyone rushing in here."
A moment of silence, and then Augury approached Susan.
"One more thing. I want you to appear at the beginning of the Cloak Academy as well as the graduation. The speech is on your desk."
"Why?"
"I have a bad feeling about that batch of Cloaks. And by feeling, I mean a wave of psychic energy. There's someone in there who is not quite right. Someone out of place."
"Do you have any idea what this person is?"
"I get the idea that it's a she."
Susan scowled. She didn't like other women. She saw them as frail and prone to ridiculous bouts of emotion and affection. "It's only a vague feeling, so she's probably not too dangerous. But, if you see anyone who sticks out, who looks suspicious – you know what to do."
"My Lord? Isn't Evan Emerit's son in this batch?"
"Yes, I believe so."
"Do you think he has anything to do with this feeling?"
Augury considered this. "It is… possible. When he gets there, have him interrogated. And whoever's with him."
"We could intercept him earlier than that."
"You can, but you won't. I don't want him harmed, either, without my express consent. Emerit will go off the deep end, and we definitely don't need to make Dagger's job any easier." "Yes, Lord Augury. I'll personally alert the head of the Academy. Is there anything else?"
"No, Susan. You are dismissed."
