Part 14: Game of Treason
Whisper opened her eyes again, Jasper was still out cold.
Damnit… this is nerve wracking.
She got up off the chair she was sitting on, and started searching through their possessions from a drawer.
Eventually, she found something. Not quite what she was looking for, but she wasn't looking for anything in particular. It was a sketchbook, which belonged to Jasper.
She looked at the first drawing. A decent attempt at a family picture. Whisper smiled faintly.
An Axew dressed as a pirate. Must've been some halloween party.
A spider. From a bird's eye view? Not even a Spinarak.
She kept flipping through the pages, looking for something...
----------
Jasper still seemed to be floating in some sort of space. Still unconcious. But conscious at the same time?
Ugh. What am I thinking? Random nonsense?
"Bacon pizza!"
What? Bacon isn't healthy.
"Arr! I'm a pirate!"
Pirates? I wish I was a pirate.
"Damnit, Schenze. Before this is all over, I WILL find you."
Who's Schenze?
"The shadow creeping up on you."
What!? Who's talking to me?
And with that, Jasper had another strange dream.
-----Schenze-----
(Note: Schenze is pronounced Shawn-zei.)
4 Years Ago...
A dimly lit room. One poisonous dragon awaited under a useless lamp, waiting.
A pancham walked out of the shadows, to the dragalge. "What is it this time, boss?"
"There's a new job today." The boss' voice sounded dry, like he ate cereal made of gravel, and then washed it down with sand.
Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if you did eat such things.
"...alright." The pancham said, expecting the boss to just continue after his last sentence.
The dragalge waited a couple of seconds after the pancham spoke to respond, for some reason. "This client isn't providing anything other than a name, picture, and address. They want the target alive, got it?"
The boss tossed the pancham a file.
The pancham took a quick glance at the file and then put it away. "I got everything, and so should you."
"Okay, Schenze. Go then." With that, the pancham, or Schenze left.
Looking for one flower girl, okay then.
Through a hidden passage, Schenze was not in a hideout anymore, but an abandoned gas station. He climbed over one of the broken window frames, avoiding a few shards of glass.
He took a minute to light a cigarette. And then looked at the city near him. Lumiose was about half a mile away from the gas station.
After waiting enough minutes, Schenze tossed the cigarette on the floor and stepped on it. He then casually strolled behind the gas station to find his motorcycle.
Might be a little dusty. I gotta get out more often.
Schenze found his motorcycle, inserted the ignition keys, and set off.
The world seemed to come to a blur as he drove, muffling the revving of the motorcycle's engine.
Until a Masquerain flew into Schenze's face.
Gah- that wasn't very pleasant you damn pest!
He swatted it away and continued.
----------
Jasper seemed to find himself back in the space.
Why am I having these strange dreams? I… I just want to go home!
He felt the emptiness of doubt clawing away at him.
"Don't give up Jasper, you can't!" A child's voice said.
Jasper spoke, still feeling quite doubtful. "I feel like giving up though. I can't do anything, i'm useless!"
A shaymin seemed to appear out of nowhere in front of Jasper. "Jasper, you can't give up! You have friends waiting for you!" she said.
"Who are you?" Jasper said, now feeling some fear.
"I'm Skyla, the embodiment of compassion!" The shaymin said.
Jasper shook his head. "I… don't feel any good. I might've hurt someone."
Skyla smiled. "You can't give up. Please, Jasper!"
"I… can't…" Jasper started to feel dizzy. The dream randomly resumed.
----------
Schenze was in one of several apartments in Lumiose. He had taken the elevator up to the 2nd floor, and was holding some sort of electronic device in his hand.
He found the room he was looking for. Number 237.
Knock, knock. Schenze pressed his ear against the door.
He heard some really faint steps walking towards the door to open it.
3… 2…
Schenze flicked a switch on the device.
As the door opened, all the lights went off via a jammer. Schenze then punched the person who opened a door: A roserade.
But it missed, in a split second her eyes widened and then she jumped backwards.
That's not gonna cut it, huh?
Schenze quickly advanced, doing a swing with a forward jump.
The roserade ran away into another room; with Schenze closely trailing her to see if she made any really hostile movements.
In fact she did, the roserade now was holding some sort of survival knife, but with a longer edge. "Stay back! You come any closer and I'll cut you!"
Schenze shook his head defiantly. "Heh, sorry. But I don't take orders from a little girl that doesn't know how to use a knife, Erin." He waited, anticipating an attack.
Erin lunged with the knife, but Schenze dodged and grabbed her arm. Then, he easily lifted Erin into the air, and slammed her onto the ground. "If you want to make this easier for yourself then you should just give up on trying to fight me."
"No, you insane criminal!" Erin managed do a handstand and flip herself upright. And started running away again.
Damnit, they didn't tell me she was fast. Grrr… I should've known that.
Schenze ran after Erin, as she hopped through the window and started climbing up the balcony stairs. Surprisingly, the roserade he was chasing wasn't able to outspeed him.
Erin leaped up to the edge of the roof, and clambered up onto it.
Schenze was barely able to climb up to the roof, and wasn't attacked during his ascent for some reason.
"What do you want from me!?"
"I don't need anything from you. But I get paid by a client if I capture you." Schenze lit a cigarette nonchalantly.
This is annoying… what am I thinking?
Erin pulled out a phone and looked at it. "Wh… why isn't my phone working?"
"It's an electronic jamming device. You should've figured that out when all the lights in the building powered off." Schenze stepped forward.
Erin walked near a stair shed, her fear being obvious. Then, as a final resort, she jumped into the air, and kicked the stair shed, launching her forward in a vicious lunge attack.
Too bad, though. Schenze shoved the blade out of the way, which cut his hand and made a grazing wound under his eye. With his other hand, he swung his fist at Erin's face.
In two seconds, Erin was lying unconscious on the ground, with the knife out of her hand, Schenze felt a little tired, but fine.
You got me a little… Man, I thought you had me for a moment.
Schenze straightened himself, ignoring the fact that both his hand and face were bleeding.
That took a little too long. This'll get a little more complicated.
-----Erin-----
A dragalge floated over to his office, noticing a note on his desk. He picked it up and read it.
Boss,
I've captured the target as requested. However, I believe that this may be a slight mistake. As that doesn't matter to you, then that's fine. When you're ready, send me a 'check'. You got any other jobs, then you ask someone else for now. I've gotten a cut on my hand.
~Schenze
………
The roserade woke up, in some sort of cell. She was sprawled across the floor, from some random thug tossing her in, probably.
Oh no, where am I? I… i've been kidnapped, haven't I? Why am I here!? I haven't done anything!
There was a pancham outside of the cell, sitting on a chair and sleeping.
Is… he holding the keyring in his left hand? In front of the cell?
Erin stood up a little, and snuck forward. Focused on the keys, in a myriad of colors like pink… and blue…
Those are plastic keys?
"Hey, you!"
"Yeah?" The Pancham instantly responded.
Erin grabbed the bars and moved a little closer to the guard. "Why am I here?"
Schenze shrugged. "I don't know." Then he tossed the plastic keys at a nearby key rack, which missed. "I almost had it.
"If you don't know then why did you kidnap me!?" Erin said angrily.
Schenze looked at Erin. "Orders of the boss. We get quote; customers and that's pretty much how I make my living." He scratched his chin. He had a cloth crap around his right hand, but the wound under his eye wasn't bandaged. Just covered by some fur. "Though honestly, I don't think you're the target that our client is looking for."
"I'm not!"
"If you're not then…" Schenze took a second to yawn. "...my boss is just gonna tell me to kill you."
Erin gasped. "Wh…"
"Shh shh…" Schenze lowered his voice to a whisper. "Listen, if you actually aren't the right person, then i'll let you leave."
I'm gonna die here, aren't I?
Erin kept silent, in frustration.
"Your silence is fine." Schenze said. He stood up and walked out of the room.
Erin hopped on the nearby bed, which was scarcely better than the floor, and slowly closed her eyes.
(The next week of my life was a blur. Waiting. There was nothing I could do. I couldn't talk to anyone I cared about and I just slept in the cell for days.
I just had a simple 'meal' of just bread and water. Of course, I just threw all the bread out of the cell and survived via chlorophyll from the one patch of light in the cell... Useless. This is hell, somebody… help me.
The guard acted like a nice guy, passing me a few bits occasionally, but I… am literally... dying here.)
1 week later…
"You needed to see me, boss?" Schenze said.
The dragalge was reading over some papers. "Yes. I just got a fax from our client from a week ago."
Schenze sighed. "Yeah, and?" The client only gave out half the payment, as he needed to… verify something.
"His source was incorrect. He had us capture the wrong person."
"Oh really…"
The dragalge tossed the papers on the table. "That's right. Now go take care of the prisoner, quickly. The client has the real target and he's willing to pay the full amount this time."
"No problem, Shade." Schenze said in a slightly hostile tone. He walked out of the room.
"...hmph."
………
Erin heard steps again.
What is it this time…?
Someone whistled, then whispered. "Psst, hey. Wake up."
"Mmmmh… is it day… or midnight?"
"It's 6 AM. Now hurry up, my boss just ordered me to kill you." Schenze was fumbling for some keys.
Erin opened her eyes a little, but didn't actually move. "Yunno, at first I thought you were lying about not killing me."
Schenze opened the door, which got Erin's attention. "That's not funny, now follow me."
Erin got off her bed, a little tired, and followed Schenze a little slowly.
He opened the door of another cell, and pried a tile off the ground, revealing some sort of trapdoor. "Come on, this way."
"Hey… I never got your name." Erin said.
"It's Schenze, now hurry!" Erin went through the trapdoor, followed by Schenze.
It was dark, but Schenze seemed to know his way around. He kept pushing Erin forward. "Come on, faster. There's no rocks to trip over."
They ran forward, reaching a dead end eventually, but finding a ladder. They climbed up, with Schenze shoving on a trapdoor on the top. "Er- it's stuck."
Erin didn't say anything.
Please, just open it faster! Just let me leave!
"Damnit, I think we blocked it with rock last month." Schenze said.
Erin tapped Schenze. "Hey… do you have my knife?"
"Yeah, here you go."
"Where is it?"
It's too dark.
"Here, right-" There was the sound of something landing on the wet floor.
"What was that? Did someone find us?"
"Ow… that hurt."
"What happened? Are you okay?" Erin climbed down the ladder, stepping on Schenze's foot for a second.
Whoop, sorry.
Schenze groaned in pain. "I fell off the ladder, just- find the knife. It's somewhere on the ground."
Erin found and picked up the knife, after stepping Schenze several times. "I got it."
Schenze stood up and dusted himself off a little. "Alright, find the hinges of the trapdoor and cut them off."
That is probably a really bad idea.
"Won't the rock above it fall on us, though?" Erin said, climbing the ladder anyway.
"There's no choice and we've got no time to think about it, do it!" Schenze yelled.
Erin located the hinges, and started cutting them with her knife. After she cut one of them off, the trapdoor buckled and started to creak dangerously.
I…
"Get back!"
Erin hopped off the ladder, and a boulder fell through the trapdoor, ignoring whether a door pushes or pulls, falling to the ground. Erin fell several feet and hit her head on the ground.
Th… that hurts! Ow... help me, help me!
"You okay?"
Not okay not okay not okay.
"No, my head…" Erin had lost all will to stand up.
Schenze growled. "Damnit…" He grabbed Erin and started to carry her up the ladder. They were soon outside, near what looked to be some sort of abandoned gas station.
Silently, Schenze found his motorbike and drove off, with Erin in tow.
This… is all a dream, isn't it?
"Hey… why did you help me, anyway?" Erin asked.
Schenze shrugged. "...you're too pretty to die."
Erin made a slight chuckle. "Very funny."
(Now that i've betrayed my boss, something bad could happen to me. Shade could find me and kill me, or the police will find me and indirectly kill me.)
(However it was all fine. I left Erin at the hospital, and she dealt with her business herself. I changed my identity to conceal myself, changing my name to… Xian.)
(Erin left Kalos some time later to return to her home in Sinnoh, but we met each other again by an extreme chance… as police officers.)