(tw: murder)
The ship rocked with the rough waves, slamming against the already weakened dock. The wood groaned under the weight, but it held steady enough to take a passenger onto its back. The storm clouds growled in the distance. A warning that even rougher weather was on the way. Already, a slight drizzle had begun, lighting filling the air with an electric blue tint.
“Should I wait here, sir?” the captain yelled over the wind. He glanced back at the ever rising waves of the ocean and the storm. The window of safe sailing in these waters was already closing.
“No,” Takara yelled back, “I’ll be fine. I intend to stay for a few days.”
“Are you sure you don’t need help, sir?” A distraught, stressed-looking young man yelled, tossing Takara his bag. “We can leave and send a proper team out!”
“This is literally why I went to college! I’ll be fine,” he chuckled and waved them off. “I have my pokemon with me! Now, seriously, go! I’ll radio when I’m ready to come home! Now get out before you’re trapped here!”
The captain did not wait to be told twice. Takara watched him and his secretary untie the ship and head back out to sea, towards those angry, swirling clouds. He gave a final wave as they left before shrugging his bag’s strap onto his shoulder and marching into the woods.
It was quiet and still. Unnatural. Takara’s eyes searched the trees for anything other than those cameras. A pidgey, a chatot, even a caterpie… nothing but the shaking of the leaves in the wind and the drip of the drizzle. He frowned and kept walking, following the worn path through the trees. It was like the Rapture all over again. The silence broken only by the weather. It used to not bother him, but now? Now it was a lonely, horrible thing. A sunken stone in his chest.
At least he already knew the cause.
A swipe of the ID card, a finger-print sensor, and a pass code had the large metal doors to the facility slide open, welcoming him into the cold, sterile environment of the lab. He took in a deep breath as the doors slid closed and locked again. He couldn’t even hear the sound of the rain in here. The only noise was the air filtration system chugging on. His eyes searched the empty halls. He checked his watch, not bothering to look up at the click of the heels steadily coming towards him.
“Sorry, sir!” the woman said, extending a hand. He took it and nodded. “I would have been here earlier, but I was a little distracted.”
“I’m sure,” he said. “Is it always so quiet?”
The woman chuckled. “Yes, don’t be fooled. We’re always hard at work here. Shall I show you to the lab?”
“Hmm…” Takara looked around the foyer once more. It was… so bland. This place was not built for anyone but the researchers. There was no sitting area, no comfort. Just… sterility. “Yes, Dr. Hollander. Please. Do you mind if I release one of my pokemon?”
He watched her from the corner of his eye, noting the quick frown that was soon replaced. He took in a calming breath and looked at her full on, watching her in a way that she would see as respectful, concerned. Thoughtful. Yet he could tell she was thinking how to tell him no. It was pathetic, wasn’t it? His position made people afraid of him. On one hand, the respect was enjoyed. On the other, it was a damn pity and not how things should be. But he was only human. As much as he hated it, part of him relished in it.
“I… well… sir, you see, I don’t want to say no, but-”
“I only mention it because Shri helps me with my work,” he said smoothly, “but if it’s a problem-”
“No, no! It’s not a problem. Please. Release them, or any of your pokemon. It’s no issue, I promise.”
Takara nodded and slipped the luxury ball off of his belt. He tossed it out and the lucario manifested from the red ray of light. She opened her eyes, staring at Dr. Hollander. She then looked to Takara. The two shared a quick glance before Takara smiled at the lucario, reaching out and giving her a soft pat on the head.
“See? I told you I would be fine on that boat, hm?” He looked back to Dr. Hollander. “To the lab then?”
She nodded. “Yes, of course. This way.”
The facility was exactly as the blueprints said it was. There had been no additions or changes since it was built. A few of the rooms were being used for different purposes than the plans stated, but at the end of the day he already knew where everything was. Every exit, every room, every supporting pillar. And he knew Shri already had a count on every single person in the facility. Or, everyone that wasn’t reassigned. The support staff, from the cooks to the janitors, had been moved off the island months ago—mostly because they didn’t know anything that had been happening here.
Budget cuts, Takara had said in the board meeting. For once, the old crooks agreed with him. They knew the Safari Zone was not a project Takara was going to downsize, but the Salve Island operation was a different story. Cutting the budget to the clueless support staff was an idea that had come about after months of deliberation. The argument being: why risk someone accidentally discovering something and leaking it to a potential competitor? The fear of such a thing was palatable off the greedy bastards Takara called a board.
At least the former support staff had better jobs now, paid out of Takara’s own pocket to follow their dreams. Miss Jamie still wanted to clean people’s homes which Takara found odd, but as long as she was happy. And she always kept his apartment so clean! In fact, the whole complex had never been better. That woman had to be some sort of god or at least an angel in disguise.
“So, as you can see, we have been hard at work,” Dr. Hollander explained as they walked through the lab, “when pokemon came back, our research really took off! We’re been creating things that could benefit Salve Co. like nothing else. Though, the work has been slowed down with the support staffing cuts. I was hoping to talk to you about that, sir.”
“Hm? Oh, of course, yes. But you all have seemed to have gotten along rather well. Still very clean. Sterile.”
“Yes, only because we assign one researcher to cleaning crew and another to cook for the week. But months of it? We would all rather just focus on our work, you know. Not that we question your decisions, sir! Not at all!”
He chuckled at that. “I don’t mind people second guessing my decisions, Dr. Hollander. It makes for a healthier work environment. I’ve always believed in collaboration.” He slowed to a stop in the hallway, looking into the secure lab from the hallway windows. People in hazmat suits were moving around an operating table. There was something laying on it, bloody towels along the sides. He focused behind them to several large cylinders filled with various liquids and… things floating in them.
“Doctor… what’s going on there?” he asked, taking a very quick glance at Shri. She was as stoic as ever, but he could see the way her lip twitched, threatening to bear teeth at the scene before them. He could only imagine the pain she felt from whatever was on that table.
“Oh! One of our proudest projects. We were hoping to reveal it to you once it’s finished. It’s called Type Null.”
Takara couldn’t hide his frown. “I’ve never heard of a Type Null before.”
“It’s a work in progress, sir. The notes are in my office and I’ll be happy to show you later on. Now, I’d love to show you one of our fossil projects! It’s rather fascinating. We’ve managed to combine different types of fossil pokemon and…”
The words faded away as Takara followed her. He had already counted six researches, but the report stated there were ten. It was vital to keep such top-secret research in the hands of a small, trusted few. But that was no excuse for the horrors he was already shown. And the fossil pokemon? The poor things falling over from uneven weight, sneezing from their bodies freezing. They were so gentle. So soft. They responded well to a gentle touch and kind voice, but they were suffering. Suffering because of man’s hubris. And that wasn’t even to mention the creatures that were dragged from another place into this one. A world so unlike their own with no way to go back.
It was hard to listen to any part of the tour while witnessing such horrible crimes. Yet he turned back to Dr. Hollander as they came back to the foyer.
“… but really, sir. Our lab is very secure and stable. I’m not sure why any repairs are needed.”
“This building is nearly 60 years old, Dr. Hollander. It may seem sturdy on the outside, but I already noticed several weaknesses in it’s general structure.” He checked his watch. “Speaking of, I appreciate the tour. Oh… by the way, your family… they are still at River Stream Road, yes? In Mistveil?”
“I… yes, sir. They are. Why do you ask?”
“Just wanted to make sure the files were up to date. Everyone kept them proper, yes?”
“I ensured it, sir. It was an order from you, after all… I fail to see how this-”
“Good, good.” Takara put his bag on the ground and opened it up. He could hear the gasp.
“Sir! You shouldn’t have that in here!”
“Hm? Oh, I know.” He picked up one of the C-4 blocks. “By the way, doctor… I did want to apologize, sincerely.” He put the block on the ground and took out several more. “It’s nothing personal. And I’ll be sure your family is well taken care of due to your loss.”
“What do you-”
He winced at the sound of the bones cracking and the blood splattering the ground. She dropped to the floor, as still as stone. He handed a handkerchief to Shri who wiped the blood from her paws.
Takara stood up and tossed out an ultraball, a large blue cat forming from the light.
The luxio looked at the scene before her, then up at Takara.
“Muurph?” she asked, tilting her head.
“It’s time, Bast,” Takara said. “You take the left, Shri takes the right. Make it painless, please. There are ten total. I’ll set the explosives. Once everyone’s dead, we free the pokemon and gather their notes, understood?”
The two pokemon nodded and split up, leaving Takara to his own devices.
–
The shrill ringing in their ears was slowly starting to fade. The mild burns and cuts on his body were hardly anything compared to the worry he had for his pokemon. Shri had some scorch marks along her fur, but nothing a burn heal couldn’t fit. Bast was mostly fine, just needing a few potions for her recovery. And Orion? He was perfectly fine save for some bruises and concern. He held Takara’s hand, cuddled as close to the human as he could get.
Takara opened his eyes and looked down at the little kirlia. “Thank you,” he said very softly. Orion looked up at him and smiled, cuddling in closer. Bast and Shri stayed very close, watching over Takara as the medics and police ran around the island in a frenzy.
“Um… Mx. Wilton?” one of the officers asked, tipping their hat back as the rain continued to pour down. It was doing little to ease the fire.
“Hm? Yes?”
“I need to ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind…”
“Oh… yes…” Takara blinked, looking beyond the officer and to the rising smoke of the lab. “Did everyone get out okay?” The officer’s frown told him everything. Takara’s brow furrowed. “Officer?”
“I’m sorry, sir. You were, uh… your kirlia there saved your life. You and your other two here… without him you’d been incinerated like the rest of them.”
“Oh…”
“We have our engineers on it, but I understand you’re well-versed in that stuff yourself? Do you remember what could have caused this?”
“Um…” Takara squeezed their eyes shut. “I’m sorry, officer. I was just here to review some of the building's weak points for repair… just to get out of the office for a bit, you know? I’m not sure what happened… I’d have to look at the scene, but I really don’t want to go back in there… I’m sorry.”
The officer nodded. “I understand. Well… if we have any other questions, can we contact your office?”
“Yes, of course. You may have to go through my lawyers, but that’s just Salve Co. protocol. I’m sorry for any future inconvenience.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’ll get you out of here.”
“Can you keep me updated on the investigation?”
“Of course.”
–
Takara sipped his coffee, scanning the paper and police report delivered to him. The board was up in a frenzy, all yelling at each other from across the table about the loss of money and research. Some yelling at Takara about the accident, how he didn’t catch it in time. But their voices drowned out as he stared at the report. It was several pages long, several studies done on the explosion ballistics. Pictures of charred bodies or ash stains on the walls. Reports on broken cylinders and destroyed lab equipment. Mentions on how all the pokemon escaped into the island proper, some theories wondering if the pokemon were the cause of the explosion. But all the officers there knew such things couldn’t leak out. The news reports were all the same, useless information. Unknown explosion on Salve Island destroyed research facility, halting the strange work Salve Co. does. Theories as to what… none of them correct.
“Takara! Are you listening?” one of the board members shouted.
Takara looked at the last page of the police report. Cause of incident: old boiler explosion due to lack of maintenance.
“No,” he said smoothly.
Case closed.