Jesse stared through the bars of her cell. James lay on the floor next to her, still unconscious. Their pokeballs had been stolen, and Jesse had been blindfolded so she had no idea where they had taken Meowth. They had removed the blindfold just before throwing her and James into the cell, but she had noticed that all of the others cells were full, and most of the people in them were wearing Team Rocket uniforms.
She sat down on the floor and laid James' head in her lap. She wished he would wake up. She took a deep breath.
Jesse had always prided herself on being a strong woman, and she was not going to let the situation get to her. She fingered the rose locket around her neck and took another deep breath, before tucking it into her jacket. "We are going to get out here," she told herself. "Somehow..."
Meowth had been taken to a room filled with pokemon. Some were sleeping on the floor, but most were in pokeballs. The man carrying him set him on the floor and put Jesse and James' pokeballs on a table. He put some food in a bowl and set it down in front of Meowth before leaving the room and locking the door behind him.
Meowth understood at once. They thought he was an ordinary pokemon, they didn't realize he could speak. He decided (wisely) that he wasn't going to let them know any different. He jumped onto the table where Jesse and James' pokeballs were. There were only three.
"Okay, everybody come out!" he said, releasing the pokemon.
Arbok, Wheezing, and Victreebel appeared. Where was Lickitung?
The three pokemon immediatly went to the bowl food. Meowth sighed. What to do now?
"I gotta find a phone an' I gotta call the boss," he told himself. He didn't have far to look; there was a video phone right there. He couldn't believe his good luck.
"Dey really tink I'm just a dumb pet," he said, jumping to the table where the phone was. "Oh well, he thought, "No time ta feel insulted..." He picked up the receiver and dialed Giovanni's number. After two or three rings, the boss answered. Meowth fought off a pang of jealousy as he noticed Giovanni was stroking the persian at his side.
"Where is the rest of the team?" the boss asked.
Meowth explained the situation. Giovanni listened closely to every word. Meowth had not been blindfolded, only gagged, so he had seen where they had been taken. He told Giovanni exactly where they were.
"My men and I will set out for your location immediatly," he told Meowth. "We should be there tomorrow. See what you can learn about our enemies. Don't let them know you can speak. Try to find the rest of your team."
"Right!" said Meowth.
"Meowth, dispite your failures, you are still a part the Team Rocket organization. This organization is like a family, and loyalty to the family is paramount. It is in that unity that our power stems. We will be there soon, so go now and do what you can to succeed."
That was the end of the conversation.
A very stunned Meowth set the receiver down. He had expected the boss to bawl him out for getting captured. The last thing he had expected was reassurance.
"I wonder if he knows somethin' we don't?" he thought.
Meowth shook his head. Of course the boss was always ahead, that's why he was the head of Team Rocket!
Suddenly he realized something. The boss had said 'My men and I'... He was coming here personally to rescue them?!
"No way", thought Meowth. "Da boss don't stick his neck out for nobody..."
He remembered how Butch and Cassidy bragged about the boss personally bailing them out of jail.
He remembered Giovanni's words: "This organization is like a family, and loyalty to the family is paramount..."
Meowth understood now. The boss did care, in his own way. Well, okay maybe car e was the wrong word. He certainly wasn't a nice guy. To him, the members of Team Rocket were like pawns, useful at times but also dispensable. He fired members of Team Rocket that ceased to be useful, and he would "take care of" any Team Rocket member that double-crossed him; but he did what he could to hold Team Rocket together, and he was a smart enough man to know that loyalty and unity went hand in hand. Jesse, James, and Meowth might only be pawns to him, but as long as they worked for Team Rocket they were his pawns; and he intended to get them back.
Finally, Meowth jumped down from the table and put Arbok, Wheezing, and Victreebel back in their pokeballs. He had a plan. He put the three pokeballs in his mouth and sat by the door. Someone would come in eventually to feed the pokemon, and when they did, HE was getting out.
James was slowly coming to. He opened his eyes and saw the worried face of his partner. He had a splitting headache.
"Are you alright?" asked Jesse. "I was so worried..."
"W-where are we?" he asked.
"I wish I knew," was the response. "We were captured by... somebody..." She helped James to sit up.
"Do you remember what happend?" she asked.
"I think so, I'm not sure... The last thing I remember is something hitting my head..." He rubbed the back of his head. He had a huge lump.
"It'll be alright," said Jesse, holding him to her. "We'll get out of here somehow..."
As the night passed, the two of them eventually fell asleep in each others arms, neither one knowing what the morning would bring...
Meowth had also fallen asleep. When morning came, the door opened and a little girl came in. As she shut the door behind her, Meowth woke up, realizing he had just blown his chance to run for it.
The girl looked to be about seven or eight years old. She went over to a Pidgey and began to pet it.
"Hello, Pidgey, how are you today?" she said to it.
Meowth watched as the girl fed every pokemon in the room. She stopped to talk to each one as she put food down for it. She did not see Meowth until she turned to leave.
"Oh, you're adorable!" she said, rubbing his head. "Nobody told me there was a new one!"
Meowth rubbed up against her like an ordinary cat. He liked her at once, but he knew he shouldn't say anything. So he meowed and jumped into her arms. "Oh, I just love you!" she said, hugging him. "You're so cute! You're the best pokemon of all!
Meowth tried to meow again, but he was having a hard time with three pokeballs in his mouth.
The girl cuddled him and said "My name's Anari, and I guess your name's Meowth, right?"
Meowth nodded.
"My big brother says I can have any pokemon I want from here, I want you! Would you like to come home with me?"
Meowth nodded. This was perfect! He could get out of here with no trouble now! Then he remembered what the boss had told him;
See what you can learn about our enemies...
Try to find the rest of your team...
"Come on," Anari said to him. "I wanna show you to Big Brother..."
Four men, all dressed in black, opened the cell Jesse and James were in and told them to get up. Jesse helped James to rise, and then they were led out of the cell.
"What do you want with us?!" Jesse asked.
"The prisoner shall remain silent," one of them said, holding a gun to her back. Despite her increasing rage, Jesse was not stupid enough to argue with a loaded gun. She was silent.
They were taken to a room that looked like a cross between a dungeon and a business office. There was a large desk in the room, and handcuffs chained to the walls.
The man sitting at the desk wore an expensive Italian suit. He looked like he was about in his early twenties.
"The notorious Jesse and James of Team Rocket. Welcome!"
Jesse instantly disliked this guy, and James was rather afraid of him.
Something about this guy reminded him of the boss.
"What do you want with us?" asked Jesse, ignoring the use of their names. "Now don't be like that," he said, coming closer. "My name is Gambini, Antonio Gambini. I'm the nephew of your boss, Giovanni."
James' mouth dropped open, but the expression on Jesse's face did not change. She did not trust this guy, not at all.
Gambini sat on top of his desk and said "My father and your boss were brothers. Giovanni was the elder brother, so he got control of Team Rocket when Madam Boss, their mother, stepped down. Giovanni had always had their mother's favor, and my father was disowned and left with nothing! My parents both disappeared one night and were never seen again. I had to change my name and go into hiding with my baby sister. Team Rocket killed them."
Jesse didn't say anything. She didn't trust this guy at all, and there was something very bogus about his story. It just didn't ring true. Gambini sensed what she thinking and he didn't like it.
"Do you think I don't know about you?" he asked. He got up stood in front of Jesse. "Your mother, the best Team Rocket agent in the history of the organization. She disappeared and was supposidly killed after being sent on a mission by Madam Boss. They are responsible for her death, and yet you work for the same organization that killed her!"
Jesse said nothing. She was not going to let this man get to her. "Don't you want revenge?" he whispered. "Don't you want to punish those who took her away from you?"
Jesse turned away from him. "And you," Gambini said, turning to James, "A millionare's son, who gave up his fortune and his birthright because his parents tried to force him into marriage. Because they couldn't except you for who you really are." Leaning close to James he said, "How would you like to make more money than even your parents could dream of? So much money that you could easily surpass them?"
Jesse pulled James close to her and said, "Leave us alone. We aren't going to be bought by the likes of you. You kidnap members of Team Rocket, tell them some sob-story and try to bribe them into working for you, and if they refuse, leave them in a cell to rot unless they change their minds. I saw your collection of people locked in the cells below. We aren't traitors, and when Giovanni finds you and learns what you've done, he will destroy you!"
Gambini was furious. He grabbed Jesse by the arms and shook her. "Who do you think you are?! You are mine! From the moment they captured you, you have been mine to do with as I please!"
He grabbed her by the throat. James tried to help her, but was held back by the four people who had brought them in.
Gambini forced Jesse's face to his and kissed her. Jesse kicked him in the stomach, HARD. He fell to the floor. Clenching his stomach, he got back up and motioned to the men holding back James. Two of them let go of him and grabbed Jesse. They led her to the chair at Gambini's desk and forced her to sit down.
"Tie her up," said Gambini, still holding his stomach. James and Jesse stared into each other's eyes. Neither one knew what to do. When Jesse was securely fastened to the chair, Gambini approached her again. James struggled to get free to help her, but with no success.
"You don't seem to understand," Gambini said to Jesse, getting in her face. "From now on, you belong to me. That means you will do anything and everything that I want, do you understand?"
"Leave her alone!" James yelled, struggling to get free. Gambini put his face close to Jesse's, and touched his lips to hers.
Jesse spat at him. Gambini swung at her furiously, knocking the chair to the floor. Jesse's head hit the stone floor, knocking her unconscious.
Suddenly a wimper could be heard from the doorway. Gambini turned around. It was Anari, holding Meowth.
She stared at him, disbelieving, tears flowing from her eyes. "B-big brother? Why?"
Gambini froze, not knowing what to say. Her small voice peirced his heart. He not meant for her to see this.
James managed to get free, and ran to Jesse. He untied her and picked her up. He was not letting anyone near her again.
"Get them out of here!" Gambini shouted to his men.
"The cells are all full now, sir," said one of the men. "We filled the last one just after we brought these two to you."
"Then put them in one of the bedrooms," said Gambini. "Just get them out!" The men led James out, carrying Jesse.
Meowth stared after them, but he did not say anything.
Anari and her brother stared at each other. Gambini did not know what to say to her.
"You...you shouldn't be here, Anari... go to your room."
Anari ran from the room, crying bitterly.
James was taken into a bedroom and shut in, still carrying Jesse in his arms. He laid her down on the bed, and went to see if he could open the window and escape with Jesse. No such luck. The window had bars on it.
He sat on the bed next to Jesse, gently caressing her face, wishing for her to awaken.
"Jesse, I'm so sorry... this is all my fault! This is all my fault for being so weak, for not being strong enough to protect you. Please forgive me..." He began to cry.
He laid down next to her, holding her close to him.
He remembered on the St. Anne, being too weak and afraid to save himself, and Jesse protecting him as usual. Leading him to safety.
She was always doing that, protecting him. And now when she needed him, he was too weak to protect her.
"No, not this time! This time I won't let her down." he told himself. "This time I'll protect her."
He loved her so much. He thought about what they had shared last night, before they had gotten captured. It had been the most amazing thing he had ever experianced in his life.
Then he thought of Gambini putting his hands on her, the thought made him sick.
"If he touches her again, I'll kill him."
And he meant it.
Anari ran into her room and slammed the door. She sat on the floor, still holding Meowth, and coninued to cry.
"How could he? How he do something so awful?"
Meowth felt bad for her. He wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know what would happen if she found out he could talk. He was also worried about Jesse and James. Where had they been taken?
Anari continued to cry.
"I don't understand, I don't!"
Meowth snuggled close to her, wishing he knew how to help her, and himself.
Giovanni and his men were fast approaching Gambini's hideout. The road split into three directions, and he was not sure which way to go.
"Which way, sir?" someone asked.
Giovanni spotted something in the middle of the center path. It was a pokeball. One of the men picked it up.
"Open it," he ordered. Throwing the ball, the man yelled "Pokeball, GO!" A lickitung appeared. The confused pokemon looked around. It didn't see Jesse anywhere.
Giovanni took the pokeball and said "Lickitung, return!"
He knew whose pokemon it was. He put the pokeball in his pocket. Leading his men down the center path he said, "Let's go."
"James?"
"It's alright, Jesse, I'm here."
Jesse sat up, holding her throbbing head. James held her gently.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"I don't know," he replied. "There was no more room in the cells, so we wound up here."
Despite her dizzines and the pain in her head, Jesse got to her feet and stumbled to the window.
"If we can get it open, we could escape," she said.
"I already tried," said James. "It's barred."
"Well we can't just give up!" she snapped angrily. She leaned against the wall with her head in her hands.
James understood at once. She was obviously in pain, which was the cause of her temper. Then a thought struck him. He thought about how many times Jesse had been tempermental, and wondered if some of the times it had been simply because she had not been feeling well. He wondered why he hadn't thought of it before.
"Jesse, you should lay down," he said, coming toward her.
"I'm fine," she said. "We've got to get out of here."
She didn't want James to see her weakness. She had to be strong, for him. She had to get them out of there. She had to...
Suddenly the room started to spin around her, as the pain in her head intensified. She felt herself falling and was caught and lifted in a pair of strong arms. James carried her back to the bed and set her down gently.
"James, I.."
"Shhhhh," he soothed her, laying down next to her. "Go to sleep, Jesse. Everything will be alright."
Jesse buried her face in his jacket as he pulled her close.
"Can you hear my heartbeat?" he said. "Every beat says 'I love you, Jesse, I love you, Jesse...'"
Jesse smiled, remembering she said that very thing to him last night.
"James, I love you so much..."
She drifted out of consciousness, listening to the soothing sound of his heartbeat.
James closed his eyes, trying to think. He had to come up with a way to get them out of there. Suddenly, he remembered something...
"If she's taken repeated blows to the head, the trauma's probably starting to catch up with her. If she coninues to get hit on the head, she could get alot worse than temporary memory loss. She needs to be more careful. You all do."
It was what the doctor had told him when Jesse had lost her memory. He held her tightly.
"Jesse, please be alright!" he thought. "I love you more than anything else in this world! I'm going to get you out of here! I swear it!" Finally, he came to a decision. He had to act, and fast.
"That's it!" said James, to his unconscious partner. "I'm getting you out of here, now!"
He got off the bed and went to the door. It had no lock, which meant someone was on the other side guarding them. He wondered how many guards there were and if he could take them. He had to try, but if he failed...
"No!" he told himself. "I can't be weak this time. I have to be strong for Jesse, I have to be!"
He slowly turned the doorknob, and opened the door. He peered out, expecting someone to point a gun at him and tell him to get back in the room. But there was no one there.
He was dumbfounded. He knew very well that Gambini was no idiot, so there had
to be more to this than meets the eye.
"Don't worry, Jesse. I'm gonna get us out of here."
He carried Jesse to the doorway and peered out again. Still no one there.
Finally, drawing upon all the courage he could muster, he held Jesse close to
him, begged luck to help him out, and ran for it.