PokemonLegacy
A.K.A Legacy @ BMGf
- 16
- Posts
- 15
- Years
- Minnesota, USA
- Seen Jan 4, 2012
Here are the first two chapters of my fanfic novel. Normally, I will post one chapter every Sunday night, but to start off, I'm posting the first two so hopefully people will get hooked. *crosses fingers*
I posted this on BMGf as well, so yea it's there too.
I will post more chapters more often if a lot of people comment. :)
It is Rated-R for violence, some language, and some sexual content. It could be rated PG-13 in my opinion, but R to be safe!
Also, it contains multiple shipping hints including Poke, Advance, and Pearlshipping throughout the story...you'll have to read the whole thing to find out how the romance angle plays out though. :)
Anyways, you can read a summary of the entire novel in my blog
here.
And the Prologue, 'The World of Pokemon' can be viewed here.
PLEASE be sure to comment and/or criticize. Also anyone is welcome to ask questions or start speculation about the story! Again...I LOVE COMMENTS about my work...so pleeeeeease, pretty please post!
[Oh yeah, and I don't own Pokemon or any of their copyrighted stuff. I invented a few of the characters and Pokemon in this novel, but obviously I do not profit from any of this...SO DON'T SUE ME!] :D
Now, without further ado...here is Chapter One!
...
Violent horizontal rain shot down from the pitch black sky like bullets and blasted against the canopy of the lush, jungle-like forest, its vast entanglement of bushy branches, vines, and huge leaves acting like an umbrella to the forest floor below. The blustering winds screamed like a dying banshee while violently shaking the trees and other exposed plant life with the force of a high-level whirlwind attack.
Huge, white-hot crackles of electricity zinged all around the sky, high above the tops of the tallest trees which partially shielded the ground from much of the pouring rain and the deafening roar of the storm. Only light sprinkles of cold rain were allowed to trickle down to the ground below the protective canopy.
The hundreds, probably thousands, of towering tree trunks stretched seemingly all the way to the sky. From below, the sky was barely visible except for a few open patches here and there, but bright flashes of lightning still managed to briefly illuminate the forest's underbelly from the heavens.
At this time of night especially, this section of the forest-floor looked almost impossible to navigate as there were no beaten paths, and the entangled web of low-hanging branches, bushes and other vegetation dominated the area.
Only a few varieties of bug and rodent-Pokemon scurried about the forest floor, barely visible in the darkness. This area normally teemed with life during a sunny day because it was miles away from any city, road, or Pokemon center, which meant that no humans ever came around the area. The Pokemon and plants were free to prosper and live without interruption…except for the chilly, wet weather on this night.
But a closer look revealed a strange and dark building standing within the shroud of vegetation.
The huge, mostly windowless, warehouse-like structure looked extremely out of place in the virtually unreachable part of the lush forest. The brown-colored building was camouflaged by the huge army of lower tree branches and tangles of lush vines and foliage, aided of course by the blackness of night.
To the typical passerby, the area would probably look like nothing more than a secluded section of this vast maze of nature. And in such a deep part of the endless jungle, the only people who encountered the warehouse were those who already knew of its secret location. There was a faint flicker of light coming from inside through a small, dingy window, but it was quickly masked by a sudden lightning strike.
Inside this mysterious warehouse, hidden deep within the impenetrable depths of miles of forestry, a storm was apparently beginning to brew as well.
The main area inside the building looked just as one would expect judging from the exterior.
The interior of the warehouse looked like a huge airplane hangar, its walls stretching probably five or six stories high. There were no light sources inside as the many bulbs lining the ceiling had apparently all been shattered and broken. The only light came in from the sporadic lightning strikes outside.
The entire floor stretched for probably the size of a football field. It was a barren grey color and had cracks in the concrete looking like a series of spidery veins, obviously showing evidence of repeated impact of some kind. There were also a few dozen huge crater-like holes in the ground, almost like a meteor had smashed into the warehouse's floor.
Still visible on the damaged concrete floor, in the middle of this vast gymnasium, there were a series of faded yellow lines painted on the dusty concrete in the shape of a rectangular field of some sort. The walls looked like they had been violently damaged as well.
As the lightning continued outside, the huge scratches, dents, and burn marks could be seen scattered throughout most of the walls. What sort of thing or creature could have wreaked so much havoc upon this apparent training facility?
Besides the apocalyptic storm banging against the small windows patterned along, just below the huge ceiling from outside, the hangar was eerily quiet and empty.
There were no people here, and the only objects in the entire gym area were some disheveled looking piles of scrap metal and some jagged chunks of debris, varying in size and shape, that had been cracked loose by whatever had destroyed the walls and floor.
Suddenly a sharp noise interrupted the silence.
An ear piercing-scream? Or…was it just the hurricane-force winds howling outside?
"Aaaaaaaargh!! NO!!!!"
No. There it was again.
Although it was muffled--obviously in another room nearby--it was definitely someone screaming; a very desperate and terrified male voice.
From inside the huge hangar, the scream sounded like it came from behind the rusty metal wall on the west side of the building. It was a chilling shriek, the kind only inspired by intense fear or pain.
Behind that wall, in a much smaller dimly-lit room, a skinny man in a white lab coat was sprawled out on the floor, trembling in fear. He was slouched on the smooth-tiled floor, half-lying down on his back, half-hoisting himself up with his arms.
All around him in the room was a Frankenstein-like collection of Bunsen burners, beakers, and test tubes containing a rainbow of multicolored liquids, not to mention a dozen or so complex-looking computer systems and their vibrantly glowing screens. Gigantic and expensive-looking, high-definition television monitors hung on every wall to display test results and visual simulations.
The scientist in the lab coat, who looked like he worked there, continued to cower from his position on the floor, and let out a few pathetic yelps for mercy.
A tall, imposing man with broad shoulders stood over him angrily, a look of complete evil on his stone-cold, angular face. His huge shadow swallowed the scientist up on the floor.
"P-p-please, s-sir," the scientist stuttered hysterically.
His glasses were cracked and crookedly balanced on his nose, which was slowly dripping blood onto his white coat like a leaky faucet. His left eye was swollen and beginning to darken in color, like it had been struck violently. Tears began to spill down his sweaty, panicked face, which was scattered with various cuts and bruises. His uncontrollable sobs began to take over his ability to speak.
The hulking man began to laugh in a chillingly sinister tone. His black beady eyes could have burned holes through concrete with the intensity of their stare. Although most of his features were shrouded by the darkness of the dimly-lit lab, what little light there was reflected off the man's dark black, slicked-back hair as well as the gold buttons of his expensive brown business suit.
The way this bruising man cackled made the scientist shiver with even more fear, as he realized that no one could hear his screams. He was all alone, and his fate was near. He finally let a loud sob burst from his mouth.
"P-Please, let me go!" The frantic scientist sobbed like a toddler. "I've done everything you've asked me to do!"
The evil man in the suit remained merciless towards the young professor.
"Yes, I suppose you have," his raspy, baritone voice boomed. "And we have been working together for some time now, Professor. But you see…now that the waiting is over and we can finally begin Phase One of my plan…I don't need you anymore!"
The large man pulled a dark grey handgun from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and began to slowly draw it towards the scientist, who was still sprawled out on the floor at the man's feet. A look of pure horror overcame the man in the lab coat instantly upon eyeing the weapon pointed at him from above.
"Holy sh-****!" he screamed, as his bottom lip quivered uncontrollably, shaking his head in frantic disbelief.
"Please, s-sss-Sir! Don't k-kill me! I s-swear I won't tell anyone about anything!"
The scientist's arms and hands shivered like a seizure as the scientist clasped his hands together in a pleading motion.
"I appreciate the loyalty, Professor." The man in the suit spoke without much sincerity. His eyes, as well as the barrel of the gun, remained focused on his employee down on the floor.
"And you have done marvelous work, but now you have fulfilled your purpose…and I can't risk you telling anyone about the mission. Plus, you are the only person who knows enough about the artifact to even have a chance of stopping me…"
"So, better to be safe than sorry."
With that, the man with the gun firmly and calmly squeezed the trigger…once…twice…three times.
Unshaken by the inhumane act of murder he had just committed, the man re-holstered his smoking gun and stared down calmly at the dead scientist lying in the increasingly large pool of blood. He spoke to the lifeless body as if nothing had happened.
"Good work, Professor Moss. It's because of you that we are able to finally achieve our goals! It won't be long now."
With that, the man in the suit turned to leave the lab, but he remembered to retrieve the professor's research notes on his way out. After grabbing the thick notebook, he exited the sliding lab door, and instructed the armed guard outside of the door to "clean the mess up" as he strolled by.
His shoes' hard heels clicked and clacked with every step he made along the granite floors as he made his way from the main laboratory, through the long hallway and down to his office, which was located in the basement, underground.
The man walked confidently as he descended down the short metal staircase and reached the glass and steel-trim doors to his spacious office. The normally-stoic man was almost giddy at the thought of what was going to transpire in just a few short days. Something he had been looking forward to for years now.
At long last, the time had finally come.
His office was large and fully carpeted in a luxurious dark red, velvet-looking material. The entire office was bathed in a soft, cozy orange glow; the only real light source inside was the roaring brick fireplace against the far wall. The inviting warmth was a stark contrast to the dark and cold monsoon going on outside.
There was a huge, fancy wooden desk, which stood neatly facing the fireplace from the opposite wall. Solid gold trim lined its outer edges, and several high-tech computers were stationed on top of the smooth wood.
All along the wall behind the desk, stood huge bookshelves extending nearly ten feet in the air. Lining the many columns of tan wooden shelves were thousands of research text books, various brown leather-bound encyclopedia volumes, and countless collections of scientific articles. There was even a sliding ladder in place, just like at the finest and fanciest of public libraries, providing access to even the highest shelves.
The gunman in the suit entered the lavish digs and plopped down in the swiveling black leather chair behind his royal-looking desk and scooted closer to it so that he was in good position to review the late-professor's research notes: a huge book of handwritten data and information regarding the long-awaited plan and the scientist's special invention that would help the man finally carry it out.
He unbuttoned his blazer as he lounged in his reclining desk chair, and began to read.
As he read the late-professor's notes, the man sat back and reflected on this entire ordeal and thought back to before he'd ever had this secret headquarters constructed in the forest…back to before this marvelous plan had been hatched.
He thought back to that day almost five years ago, when he and his henchmen made that mysterious discovery at Mount Yoshii.
It was a discovery that would jumpstart his master plan. That was when he had hired Professor Moss to figure out what exactly the strange discovery was. With Moss' help, the man had soon realized that the strange artifact he'd found would be the key to his lifelong dream of supreme power!
Even before that day half-a-decade ago--and for his entire life really--the man had yearned for great power. But for years, he had believed that great wealth was the best way to acquire such power and status.
His family had owned an incredibly wealthy drilling company which they had passed down to him long ago. But after years of making unimaginable amounts of money, the man realized that he wanted more…much more.
He realized that people did indeed respect those with wealth, but they didn't fear them…they didn't heed his every request. The man learned that money could only buy so much power. The type of power he wanted would need to be obtained in a different way.
He would have to take it!
And now…finally…after many years, the man was in position to do just that. The time for his ultimate plan was almost here!
Still obviously daydreaming about how his long-awaited plan was finally coming to fruition, the boss stared straight ahead from his desk chair, a wide grin beginning to stretch across his face as he tried to hold in his excitement for what was about to occur.
*BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!*
The boss jumped a little at hearing the sharp beeping of the intercom on his desk extinguishing his thoughts.
He leaned over and pressed the glowing button on the intercom.
"Yes?" the man in the suit barked, angry at being disturbed.
"Sir, I have the computer analyst, Ms. Sarah Clayton, on the line…" A female voice reported from the other end of the intercom.
"Good. Put her through."
"Ah, Ms. Clayton," the man greeted. "I trust you are calling because you've changed your mind about what we discussed the other day."
The female voice on the other end of the intercom whispered nervously and sounded extremely frightened. There was a distinct sound of static in the background as her voice quivered.
"Yeah…Alright, I'll do it. I'll do whatever you say… just don't hurt my kids!"
"A wise decision, indeed, young lady. And remember…not a word of anything to anybody. If you tell anyone about your assignment, rest assured, I will know…and your children will be killed. Just do what you've been told, and no one will have to get hurt."
"Alright, alright! I promise!" The woman's voice was trembling. She sounded hysterical.
"Good. Get to Sancterra City on the double! And do not let anyone see you hacking into their mainframe once you get there. Call me back when you are finished…after it's done, your kids will be returned to you."
"Wait! How am I supposed to even get into the stadium? I'm just a computer programmer! What can I do? Security around that place is going to be crazy!"
"Precisely, Ms. Clayton. Which is why we need you to break into the control room and hack into their computerized security system. I'm sure you and that special Pokemon of yours will be able find a way into the stadium."
"What!? How…how did you know about--"
"Listen, *****…enough with the 'twenty questions!' If you ever want to see your precious children…your flesh and blood…you will shut up and just do as you've been told!" the man hissed, and hung up on the frightened woman.
Sarah Clayton heard the phone click and knew the monster on the other end had hung up. She was trembling in fear still as she reached her hand down to hang up the phone on her work desk.
All the young woman could do was stare at her computer screen in front of her and try to look like she was busy at work in her snug office cubicle.
She stood up briefly and surveyed the large office building full of cubicles, computers, and white-collar workers, looking for her boss. She didn't want him to walk by and see her like this.
Sarah hastily straightened her cleanly pressed white shirt and dress skirt with her hands, trying to compose herself, but even that proved to be too difficult at a time like this.
"What am I going to do?" Sarah cried to herself as she brushed a lock of ruby red hair from her face.
Sarah shuddered when she remembered first being contacted by that mysterious man on the phone a few days ago.
He had told her that he wanted her to break into the Sancterra City Stadium's security system. He had offered her a large sum of money to do so, but she had refused. She didn't know who this man was, how he had gotten her number, or even why he had chosen her to do this dirty deed in the first place. So she simply hung up the phone, thinking it was nothing but a prank call. A few days had passed, and she hadn't thought anything about it.
But today, when Sarah had arrived at work just hours ago, she had found a startling e-mail waiting for her as soon as she had logged into her work computer.
"We have your children. If you ever want to see them alive again, you will do as we say. No police, or they're dead. We'll contact you with the details." The message read.
The frightening e-mail was accompanied by an even more horrific picture, which had been attached to the document. It showed her two young children tied up in a dark room, both their mouthes covered by silver duct-tape. Terrified looks were on both of her kids' faces, tears streaming down their cheeks.
Sarah nearly fainted from horror when she had seen it. She tried tracing the location of e-mail sender, but whoever had sent it had obviously covered his or her tracks.
She was so scared for her children's safety, but she knew she couldn't tell anyone for fear that the evil man might make good on his promise to hurt them if she did. Sarah had no choice but to call the man back and agree to his sinister demands.
Tears began to well up in her soft green eyes as she sat in her desk chair and thought about her helpless children who were undoubtedly terrified and confused without her.
"Oh my god!" Sarah sobbed quietly to herself as she sat in her computer chair inside her office cubicle.
She was interrupted by a voice from behind her. The young woman quickly dried her eyes as best she could and spun around in her desk chair.
"Sarah, are you alright?" A fellow computer-analyst wearing a plain light-blue shirt and navy-colored tie was standing at the opening of the cubicle and had a concerned look on his face.
"Oh, um…hello, Luke. Yes, I'm fine," Sarah lied to her co-worker, trying to hide her red, puffy eyes as best she could.
"Are you sure?" the brown-haired man in his mid-twenties asked, obviously not convinced by her answer. He pushed his black-rimmed glasses back into position on his nose with his fingers, looking puzzled.
Sarah started to spew tears again despite her best efforts to hold them in. She finally broke. She had to tell someone…and Luke was the only one she could trust right now.
"Oh, Luke! I-I don't know what to do! He's g-g-got my kids! He said he'll kill them!"
She was crying uncontrollably now, but did her best to keep quiet so as not to attract too much attention from other co-workers.
"Whoa, whoa! Slow down, Sarah. What do you mean? Who's got your kids?"
Luke's concerned light-brown eyes were focused on his hysterical co-worker and friend as he kneeled down in front of her, trying to console her.
Sarah did her best to explain the situation to him between bits of sobbing and deep-breaths. She confided in Luke, telling him everything about what had transpired…from the mysterious phone call she had received two days ago to the sickening e-mail and picture she had received just hours ago, and her orders to travel to Sancterra City and break into the stadium's security system.
Luke definitely found this whole ordeal very hard to believe. What would this strange guy want with Sarah anyway? Why was he threatening her? But judging by her hysteria, Luke knew Sarah was serious about all of this.
He had always had a bit of a crush on Sarah ever since they had met years ago during their time in college. They both attended the same university and both shared an interest in computers and new-age technology. And now both worked at the same computer research and development company and remained close friends.
Luke had always felt bad for Sarah, knowing that she didn't have her children's' father in her life to help her out. The young man hated seeing Sarah struggle with juggling her promising career as a top computer programmer along with being a single mother. He had never had the heart to ask Sarah about the father of her children for as long as he'd known her, but Luke knew he wasn't around, and hadn't been for a long time.
Sarah was an incredible computer-whiz--one of the brightest young tech-minds in the entire world--not to mention that she was extremely funny, kind, and beautiful. But Luke felt like her promising career was limited by her maternal duties. He had always wanted to be there for her, but didn't know if he was overstepping his bounds. After all Sarah had never given him any indication that she wanted or needed anyone to help her balance her life.
But now it was clear that Sarah needed him. It was his chance to show her how much he cared about her.
"Don't worry, Sarah. We'll get your kids back!" Luke smiled and wiped a falling tear from Sarah's smooth face as the two sat close together within the cramped walls of her cubicle.
MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE DARK FOREST HEADQUARTERS…
The man in the business suit pressed a button on his desk's intercom after he had hung up on Sarah.
He was pleased. Everything was going according to plans. He again lounged back in his leather desk chair and put his feet up on the desk. He reached into the breast pocket of his expensive suit jacket and pulled out a long, thick cigar and a metal lighter. With one flick of his thumb, he lit the brown cigar and puffed it three times in order to ignite it completely. The cherry of the cigar glowed a bright red.
The man exhaled with a satisfied sigh and blew rings of thick grey smoke into the air. He was extremely pleased that Phase One of his plan was going smoothly so far. With the cigar perched by the side of his mouth, he leaned forward and pressed a few buttons on his intercom.
After a few seconds, a new male voice answered the call.
"Yes, Boss?"
"Agent Ryder…what's your status?" The boss removed the cigar from his mouth and held it in between his index and middle fingers casually as he spoke.
"Our men are all in position just outside of Sancterra City, Boss. We're standing by…just waiting for your command."
"Excellent. Ms. Clayton has finally decided to cooperate…so the attack will go on as planned as soon as she's disabled the security system. Make sure you and your men stay out of sight until I give the order to strike! We must time everything perfectly!" The man commanded firmly.
"Understood, Boss. Our soldiers will be ready! These people won't know what hit them!"
The man hung up the phone and again lounged back happily in his chair.
What the man didn't notice, however, was that there was a pair of strange, glowing eyes peering in at him from the tiny window in his underground office located just below the ceiling. The mysterious, vibrant blue eyes glowed brightly outside in the dark and stormy night, watching the man in the suit sitting eagerly at his desk. And once it had seen what it had come to see, the strange creature disappeared back into the depths of the forest.
I posted this on BMGf as well, so yea it's there too.
I will post more chapters more often if a lot of people comment. :)
It is Rated-R for violence, some language, and some sexual content. It could be rated PG-13 in my opinion, but R to be safe!
Also, it contains multiple shipping hints including Poke, Advance, and Pearlshipping throughout the story...you'll have to read the whole thing to find out how the romance angle plays out though. :)
Anyways, you can read a summary of the entire novel in my blog
here.
And the Prologue, 'The World of Pokemon' can be viewed here.
PLEASE be sure to comment and/or criticize. Also anyone is welcome to ask questions or start speculation about the story! Again...I LOVE COMMENTS about my work...so pleeeeeease, pretty please post!
[Oh yeah, and I don't own Pokemon or any of their copyrighted stuff. I invented a few of the characters and Pokemon in this novel, but obviously I do not profit from any of this...SO DON'T SUE ME!] :D
Now, without further ado...here is Chapter One!
...
Violent horizontal rain shot down from the pitch black sky like bullets and blasted against the canopy of the lush, jungle-like forest, its vast entanglement of bushy branches, vines, and huge leaves acting like an umbrella to the forest floor below. The blustering winds screamed like a dying banshee while violently shaking the trees and other exposed plant life with the force of a high-level whirlwind attack.
Huge, white-hot crackles of electricity zinged all around the sky, high above the tops of the tallest trees which partially shielded the ground from much of the pouring rain and the deafening roar of the storm. Only light sprinkles of cold rain were allowed to trickle down to the ground below the protective canopy.
The hundreds, probably thousands, of towering tree trunks stretched seemingly all the way to the sky. From below, the sky was barely visible except for a few open patches here and there, but bright flashes of lightning still managed to briefly illuminate the forest's underbelly from the heavens.
At this time of night especially, this section of the forest-floor looked almost impossible to navigate as there were no beaten paths, and the entangled web of low-hanging branches, bushes and other vegetation dominated the area.
Only a few varieties of bug and rodent-Pokemon scurried about the forest floor, barely visible in the darkness. This area normally teemed with life during a sunny day because it was miles away from any city, road, or Pokemon center, which meant that no humans ever came around the area. The Pokemon and plants were free to prosper and live without interruption…except for the chilly, wet weather on this night.
But a closer look revealed a strange and dark building standing within the shroud of vegetation.
The huge, mostly windowless, warehouse-like structure looked extremely out of place in the virtually unreachable part of the lush forest. The brown-colored building was camouflaged by the huge army of lower tree branches and tangles of lush vines and foliage, aided of course by the blackness of night.
To the typical passerby, the area would probably look like nothing more than a secluded section of this vast maze of nature. And in such a deep part of the endless jungle, the only people who encountered the warehouse were those who already knew of its secret location. There was a faint flicker of light coming from inside through a small, dingy window, but it was quickly masked by a sudden lightning strike.
Inside this mysterious warehouse, hidden deep within the impenetrable depths of miles of forestry, a storm was apparently beginning to brew as well.
The main area inside the building looked just as one would expect judging from the exterior.
The interior of the warehouse looked like a huge airplane hangar, its walls stretching probably five or six stories high. There were no light sources inside as the many bulbs lining the ceiling had apparently all been shattered and broken. The only light came in from the sporadic lightning strikes outside.
The entire floor stretched for probably the size of a football field. It was a barren grey color and had cracks in the concrete looking like a series of spidery veins, obviously showing evidence of repeated impact of some kind. There were also a few dozen huge crater-like holes in the ground, almost like a meteor had smashed into the warehouse's floor.
Still visible on the damaged concrete floor, in the middle of this vast gymnasium, there were a series of faded yellow lines painted on the dusty concrete in the shape of a rectangular field of some sort. The walls looked like they had been violently damaged as well.
As the lightning continued outside, the huge scratches, dents, and burn marks could be seen scattered throughout most of the walls. What sort of thing or creature could have wreaked so much havoc upon this apparent training facility?
Besides the apocalyptic storm banging against the small windows patterned along, just below the huge ceiling from outside, the hangar was eerily quiet and empty.
There were no people here, and the only objects in the entire gym area were some disheveled looking piles of scrap metal and some jagged chunks of debris, varying in size and shape, that had been cracked loose by whatever had destroyed the walls and floor.
Suddenly a sharp noise interrupted the silence.
An ear piercing-scream? Or…was it just the hurricane-force winds howling outside?
"Aaaaaaaargh!! NO!!!!"
No. There it was again.
Although it was muffled--obviously in another room nearby--it was definitely someone screaming; a very desperate and terrified male voice.
From inside the huge hangar, the scream sounded like it came from behind the rusty metal wall on the west side of the building. It was a chilling shriek, the kind only inspired by intense fear or pain.
Behind that wall, in a much smaller dimly-lit room, a skinny man in a white lab coat was sprawled out on the floor, trembling in fear. He was slouched on the smooth-tiled floor, half-lying down on his back, half-hoisting himself up with his arms.
All around him in the room was a Frankenstein-like collection of Bunsen burners, beakers, and test tubes containing a rainbow of multicolored liquids, not to mention a dozen or so complex-looking computer systems and their vibrantly glowing screens. Gigantic and expensive-looking, high-definition television monitors hung on every wall to display test results and visual simulations.
The scientist in the lab coat, who looked like he worked there, continued to cower from his position on the floor, and let out a few pathetic yelps for mercy.
A tall, imposing man with broad shoulders stood over him angrily, a look of complete evil on his stone-cold, angular face. His huge shadow swallowed the scientist up on the floor.
"P-p-please, s-sir," the scientist stuttered hysterically.
His glasses were cracked and crookedly balanced on his nose, which was slowly dripping blood onto his white coat like a leaky faucet. His left eye was swollen and beginning to darken in color, like it had been struck violently. Tears began to spill down his sweaty, panicked face, which was scattered with various cuts and bruises. His uncontrollable sobs began to take over his ability to speak.
The hulking man began to laugh in a chillingly sinister tone. His black beady eyes could have burned holes through concrete with the intensity of their stare. Although most of his features were shrouded by the darkness of the dimly-lit lab, what little light there was reflected off the man's dark black, slicked-back hair as well as the gold buttons of his expensive brown business suit.
The way this bruising man cackled made the scientist shiver with even more fear, as he realized that no one could hear his screams. He was all alone, and his fate was near. He finally let a loud sob burst from his mouth.
"P-Please, let me go!" The frantic scientist sobbed like a toddler. "I've done everything you've asked me to do!"
The evil man in the suit remained merciless towards the young professor.
"Yes, I suppose you have," his raspy, baritone voice boomed. "And we have been working together for some time now, Professor. But you see…now that the waiting is over and we can finally begin Phase One of my plan…I don't need you anymore!"
The large man pulled a dark grey handgun from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and began to slowly draw it towards the scientist, who was still sprawled out on the floor at the man's feet. A look of pure horror overcame the man in the lab coat instantly upon eyeing the weapon pointed at him from above.
"Holy sh-****!" he screamed, as his bottom lip quivered uncontrollably, shaking his head in frantic disbelief.
"Please, s-sss-Sir! Don't k-kill me! I s-swear I won't tell anyone about anything!"
The scientist's arms and hands shivered like a seizure as the scientist clasped his hands together in a pleading motion.
"I appreciate the loyalty, Professor." The man in the suit spoke without much sincerity. His eyes, as well as the barrel of the gun, remained focused on his employee down on the floor.
"And you have done marvelous work, but now you have fulfilled your purpose…and I can't risk you telling anyone about the mission. Plus, you are the only person who knows enough about the artifact to even have a chance of stopping me…"
"So, better to be safe than sorry."
With that, the man with the gun firmly and calmly squeezed the trigger…once…twice…three times.
Unshaken by the inhumane act of murder he had just committed, the man re-holstered his smoking gun and stared down calmly at the dead scientist lying in the increasingly large pool of blood. He spoke to the lifeless body as if nothing had happened.
"Good work, Professor Moss. It's because of you that we are able to finally achieve our goals! It won't be long now."
With that, the man in the suit turned to leave the lab, but he remembered to retrieve the professor's research notes on his way out. After grabbing the thick notebook, he exited the sliding lab door, and instructed the armed guard outside of the door to "clean the mess up" as he strolled by.
His shoes' hard heels clicked and clacked with every step he made along the granite floors as he made his way from the main laboratory, through the long hallway and down to his office, which was located in the basement, underground.
The man walked confidently as he descended down the short metal staircase and reached the glass and steel-trim doors to his spacious office. The normally-stoic man was almost giddy at the thought of what was going to transpire in just a few short days. Something he had been looking forward to for years now.
At long last, the time had finally come.
His office was large and fully carpeted in a luxurious dark red, velvet-looking material. The entire office was bathed in a soft, cozy orange glow; the only real light source inside was the roaring brick fireplace against the far wall. The inviting warmth was a stark contrast to the dark and cold monsoon going on outside.
There was a huge, fancy wooden desk, which stood neatly facing the fireplace from the opposite wall. Solid gold trim lined its outer edges, and several high-tech computers were stationed on top of the smooth wood.
All along the wall behind the desk, stood huge bookshelves extending nearly ten feet in the air. Lining the many columns of tan wooden shelves were thousands of research text books, various brown leather-bound encyclopedia volumes, and countless collections of scientific articles. There was even a sliding ladder in place, just like at the finest and fanciest of public libraries, providing access to even the highest shelves.
The gunman in the suit entered the lavish digs and plopped down in the swiveling black leather chair behind his royal-looking desk and scooted closer to it so that he was in good position to review the late-professor's research notes: a huge book of handwritten data and information regarding the long-awaited plan and the scientist's special invention that would help the man finally carry it out.
He unbuttoned his blazer as he lounged in his reclining desk chair, and began to read.
As he read the late-professor's notes, the man sat back and reflected on this entire ordeal and thought back to before he'd ever had this secret headquarters constructed in the forest…back to before this marvelous plan had been hatched.
He thought back to that day almost five years ago, when he and his henchmen made that mysterious discovery at Mount Yoshii.
It was a discovery that would jumpstart his master plan. That was when he had hired Professor Moss to figure out what exactly the strange discovery was. With Moss' help, the man had soon realized that the strange artifact he'd found would be the key to his lifelong dream of supreme power!
Even before that day half-a-decade ago--and for his entire life really--the man had yearned for great power. But for years, he had believed that great wealth was the best way to acquire such power and status.
His family had owned an incredibly wealthy drilling company which they had passed down to him long ago. But after years of making unimaginable amounts of money, the man realized that he wanted more…much more.
He realized that people did indeed respect those with wealth, but they didn't fear them…they didn't heed his every request. The man learned that money could only buy so much power. The type of power he wanted would need to be obtained in a different way.
He would have to take it!
And now…finally…after many years, the man was in position to do just that. The time for his ultimate plan was almost here!
Still obviously daydreaming about how his long-awaited plan was finally coming to fruition, the boss stared straight ahead from his desk chair, a wide grin beginning to stretch across his face as he tried to hold in his excitement for what was about to occur.
*BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!*
The boss jumped a little at hearing the sharp beeping of the intercom on his desk extinguishing his thoughts.
He leaned over and pressed the glowing button on the intercom.
"Yes?" the man in the suit barked, angry at being disturbed.
"Sir, I have the computer analyst, Ms. Sarah Clayton, on the line…" A female voice reported from the other end of the intercom.
"Good. Put her through."
"Ah, Ms. Clayton," the man greeted. "I trust you are calling because you've changed your mind about what we discussed the other day."
The female voice on the other end of the intercom whispered nervously and sounded extremely frightened. There was a distinct sound of static in the background as her voice quivered.
"Yeah…Alright, I'll do it. I'll do whatever you say… just don't hurt my kids!"
"A wise decision, indeed, young lady. And remember…not a word of anything to anybody. If you tell anyone about your assignment, rest assured, I will know…and your children will be killed. Just do what you've been told, and no one will have to get hurt."
"Alright, alright! I promise!" The woman's voice was trembling. She sounded hysterical.
"Good. Get to Sancterra City on the double! And do not let anyone see you hacking into their mainframe once you get there. Call me back when you are finished…after it's done, your kids will be returned to you."
"Wait! How am I supposed to even get into the stadium? I'm just a computer programmer! What can I do? Security around that place is going to be crazy!"
"Precisely, Ms. Clayton. Which is why we need you to break into the control room and hack into their computerized security system. I'm sure you and that special Pokemon of yours will be able find a way into the stadium."
"What!? How…how did you know about--"
"Listen, *****…enough with the 'twenty questions!' If you ever want to see your precious children…your flesh and blood…you will shut up and just do as you've been told!" the man hissed, and hung up on the frightened woman.
Sarah Clayton heard the phone click and knew the monster on the other end had hung up. She was trembling in fear still as she reached her hand down to hang up the phone on her work desk.
All the young woman could do was stare at her computer screen in front of her and try to look like she was busy at work in her snug office cubicle.
She stood up briefly and surveyed the large office building full of cubicles, computers, and white-collar workers, looking for her boss. She didn't want him to walk by and see her like this.
Sarah hastily straightened her cleanly pressed white shirt and dress skirt with her hands, trying to compose herself, but even that proved to be too difficult at a time like this.
"What am I going to do?" Sarah cried to herself as she brushed a lock of ruby red hair from her face.
Sarah shuddered when she remembered first being contacted by that mysterious man on the phone a few days ago.
He had told her that he wanted her to break into the Sancterra City Stadium's security system. He had offered her a large sum of money to do so, but she had refused. She didn't know who this man was, how he had gotten her number, or even why he had chosen her to do this dirty deed in the first place. So she simply hung up the phone, thinking it was nothing but a prank call. A few days had passed, and she hadn't thought anything about it.
But today, when Sarah had arrived at work just hours ago, she had found a startling e-mail waiting for her as soon as she had logged into her work computer.
"We have your children. If you ever want to see them alive again, you will do as we say. No police, or they're dead. We'll contact you with the details." The message read.
The frightening e-mail was accompanied by an even more horrific picture, which had been attached to the document. It showed her two young children tied up in a dark room, both their mouthes covered by silver duct-tape. Terrified looks were on both of her kids' faces, tears streaming down their cheeks.
Sarah nearly fainted from horror when she had seen it. She tried tracing the location of e-mail sender, but whoever had sent it had obviously covered his or her tracks.
She was so scared for her children's safety, but she knew she couldn't tell anyone for fear that the evil man might make good on his promise to hurt them if she did. Sarah had no choice but to call the man back and agree to his sinister demands.
Tears began to well up in her soft green eyes as she sat in her desk chair and thought about her helpless children who were undoubtedly terrified and confused without her.
"Oh my god!" Sarah sobbed quietly to herself as she sat in her computer chair inside her office cubicle.
She was interrupted by a voice from behind her. The young woman quickly dried her eyes as best she could and spun around in her desk chair.
"Sarah, are you alright?" A fellow computer-analyst wearing a plain light-blue shirt and navy-colored tie was standing at the opening of the cubicle and had a concerned look on his face.
"Oh, um…hello, Luke. Yes, I'm fine," Sarah lied to her co-worker, trying to hide her red, puffy eyes as best she could.
"Are you sure?" the brown-haired man in his mid-twenties asked, obviously not convinced by her answer. He pushed his black-rimmed glasses back into position on his nose with his fingers, looking puzzled.
Sarah started to spew tears again despite her best efforts to hold them in. She finally broke. She had to tell someone…and Luke was the only one she could trust right now.
"Oh, Luke! I-I don't know what to do! He's g-g-got my kids! He said he'll kill them!"
She was crying uncontrollably now, but did her best to keep quiet so as not to attract too much attention from other co-workers.
"Whoa, whoa! Slow down, Sarah. What do you mean? Who's got your kids?"
Luke's concerned light-brown eyes were focused on his hysterical co-worker and friend as he kneeled down in front of her, trying to console her.
Sarah did her best to explain the situation to him between bits of sobbing and deep-breaths. She confided in Luke, telling him everything about what had transpired…from the mysterious phone call she had received two days ago to the sickening e-mail and picture she had received just hours ago, and her orders to travel to Sancterra City and break into the stadium's security system.
Luke definitely found this whole ordeal very hard to believe. What would this strange guy want with Sarah anyway? Why was he threatening her? But judging by her hysteria, Luke knew Sarah was serious about all of this.
He had always had a bit of a crush on Sarah ever since they had met years ago during their time in college. They both attended the same university and both shared an interest in computers and new-age technology. And now both worked at the same computer research and development company and remained close friends.
Luke had always felt bad for Sarah, knowing that she didn't have her children's' father in her life to help her out. The young man hated seeing Sarah struggle with juggling her promising career as a top computer programmer along with being a single mother. He had never had the heart to ask Sarah about the father of her children for as long as he'd known her, but Luke knew he wasn't around, and hadn't been for a long time.
Sarah was an incredible computer-whiz--one of the brightest young tech-minds in the entire world--not to mention that she was extremely funny, kind, and beautiful. But Luke felt like her promising career was limited by her maternal duties. He had always wanted to be there for her, but didn't know if he was overstepping his bounds. After all Sarah had never given him any indication that she wanted or needed anyone to help her balance her life.
But now it was clear that Sarah needed him. It was his chance to show her how much he cared about her.
"Don't worry, Sarah. We'll get your kids back!" Luke smiled and wiped a falling tear from Sarah's smooth face as the two sat close together within the cramped walls of her cubicle.
MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE DARK FOREST HEADQUARTERS…
The man in the business suit pressed a button on his desk's intercom after he had hung up on Sarah.
He was pleased. Everything was going according to plans. He again lounged back in his leather desk chair and put his feet up on the desk. He reached into the breast pocket of his expensive suit jacket and pulled out a long, thick cigar and a metal lighter. With one flick of his thumb, he lit the brown cigar and puffed it three times in order to ignite it completely. The cherry of the cigar glowed a bright red.
The man exhaled with a satisfied sigh and blew rings of thick grey smoke into the air. He was extremely pleased that Phase One of his plan was going smoothly so far. With the cigar perched by the side of his mouth, he leaned forward and pressed a few buttons on his intercom.
After a few seconds, a new male voice answered the call.
"Yes, Boss?"
"Agent Ryder…what's your status?" The boss removed the cigar from his mouth and held it in between his index and middle fingers casually as he spoke.
"Our men are all in position just outside of Sancterra City, Boss. We're standing by…just waiting for your command."
"Excellent. Ms. Clayton has finally decided to cooperate…so the attack will go on as planned as soon as she's disabled the security system. Make sure you and your men stay out of sight until I give the order to strike! We must time everything perfectly!" The man commanded firmly.
"Understood, Boss. Our soldiers will be ready! These people won't know what hit them!"
The man hung up the phone and again lounged back happily in his chair.
What the man didn't notice, however, was that there was a pair of strange, glowing eyes peering in at him from the tiny window in his underground office located just below the ceiling. The mysterious, vibrant blue eyes glowed brightly outside in the dark and stormy night, watching the man in the suit sitting eagerly at his desk. And once it had seen what it had come to see, the strange creature disappeared back into the depths of the forest.