Story Six: Loyalty
"Tsk, Tsk, Tsk, Myamoto;" Giovanni cackled amidst the flames, holding Jessie tightly by the neck with one hand while the other was gripping a gun that was firmly pressed against Jessie's right temple; "I expected better of you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The events of the last several hours had been a blur. Jessie, James, Meowth, Tracey, and Jennifer Justicia had broken into the Main Cloning Laboratory at the Isle Noir Team Rocket Base.
Myamoto had insisted upon coming along even though her health was frail. This was the best chance to find that vital substance that the cloned Myamoto needed to live. If they could find the substance, legitimate scientists could synthesize it for her.
Physicians had given her a substitute based upon the analysis of her blood, but the substitute was missing a vital ingredient and she was slowly dying. Even now, her strength was failing her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You were to be great, Mya, a great warrior, a perfect soldier along with your comrades;" Giovanni hissed, pressing his gun more firmly against Jessie's head, a look of immeasurable fear shimmered in her eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The group of six had infiltrated the great Main Cloning Lab. Tracey busied himself making detailed sketches of its layout, for after finding Myamoto's needed substance, Jennifer Justicia planned to marshal the Officers of several cities for a specialized raid upon the Team Rocket Base.
Brock and Mondo were back on the mainland working with the Young Officer Jenny of Pewter City, Justicia's "niece", already forming a plan.
Jennifer and Tracey were following James and Myamoto's lead in infiltrating and searching the place (that was familiar to the two "Rockets") in order to gather evidence for and knowledge of the Base's setup for the raid.
"Whoa, they're all...empty;" whispered Myamoto, staring up at a wall of ten great glass tanks. Jessie gave her a quizzical look.
"They...used to have...my 'sisters';" Myamoto explained.
"Lookit this file I found!" James called. He was standing over a lab table holding some papers. Jessie, Myamoto and Meowth rushed to his side, while Jennifer was still gathering clues and Tracey was still sketching.
"It says;" James read; "'Abandoning Project. Clones-total failures, none survive. Something right with 'Myamototwo'. Must have her to have the key."
Suddenly, a violent explosion ripped through the East end of the lab! Jessie, James, Myamoto, and Meowth ducked while Jennifer Justicia and Tracey disappeared among the flames and flying debris!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You would give up the opportunity of a lifetime, the opportunity to rule the world with me, for this? For HER? For a 'daughter' and memories that aren't even really yours? Once she is taken care of, you will come back to me."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Jenny!" Jessie screamed; "Tracey!"
"Oh, my God!" James cried. He, Jessie, Myamoto and Meowth searched among shattered glass and licking flames for their companions.
"Dere over here!" Meowth called. Myamoto and Jessie knelt beside their two prone friends on the lab's floor, Jessie next to Jenny, Myamoto next to the young artist.
"She's dead;" Jessie whispered after taking Jennifer's pulse, tears filling her eyes.
"So's he;" Myamoto replied.
"No, no...please no..." James whispered.
"Dey were a copper and a twerp, but dey didn't deserve dis;" Meowth said forlornly.
A dark laugh filled the lab; "You didn't think I'd let myself be caught by the authorities did you? You didn't think I'd leave all this lovely evidence behind?"
Another explosion rocked the lab.
"Jessie!" James, Myamoto, and Meowth cried, seeing her suddenly absent from their presence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Myamoto glared at Giovanni, the large shard of glass she held in her right hand lightly cutting into her palm. James and Meowth stood next her, shaking with fear at what they knew he was about to do to their Jessie.
"Murderer!" Myamoto shouted; "You were always out for your own ends! Now that it has all failed, you still choose to cause misery? You are NOT my 'father'!"
"Mya, my dear, my dear. I only want what's best for the world! If you come with me to the new labs, we can accomplish that which I set out to do. Mya, you are the Key to a new race! A new Team Rocket!"
"Never! I have realized the wrong of what you are doing! I have found something I never found here, Love. I wished to be your soldier, but I have grown, changed! I may be a clone, but I have a conscience! You murder innocents!"
"So, I was merely protecting us, destroying evidence, like I did in Viridian. A couple of...unfortunate casualties happened to get in the way. One more and you will have no choice but to return to me. And may I remind you, the 'C-22312' that you need, the lifefluid, is something only I can provide. You forfeit your life by not returning to me! Once I take care of your pathetic little 'family interest' here, you will see the error of your ways."
Giovanni cocked his weapon with a loud "click!" Jessie winced.
"It will be less painful for your 'daughter' than what the cat and the boy will go through once I detonate the last of the charges here from my helicopter. One bullet, quick and painless, take comfort in that."
Myamoto growled, then she ran to and leapt upon Giovanni! Jessie flew away from his cruel grasp as the gun fired one round into the smoke-filled air! Giovanni cried out in a scream that was cut short by one thrust of Myamoto's glass shard into his chest.
Myamoto staggered away from his fallen form, her upper body covered in blood. Her breaths were short. It became immediately obvious that in her bold act, Myamoto had used the last of her failing strength. She collapsed upon the cold tile floor.
"Mother!" Jessie cried, running to her side. She gathered Myamoto's head into her lap; "Mother, Mother!"
"Jessie;" Myamoto whispered.
"You sacrificed yourself for me? Why?"
"'Tis what any good mother would do."
"But you're not...not truly..."
"Oh, but I am, I am. I maybe just her clone...but I had the memories, I knew you. As far as I'm concerned, you ARE my daughter. I-I want you to...go...live your life, put the past behind you...and live...for you and for me."
"Just hang on;" Jessie pleaded; "I'm sure the doctors can find a way to save you, to re-create that substance, if you only hang on...hang on, don't leave me, not again."
Myamoto started to sit up. She reached out her hand; "Mew?" she whispered; "Is that really you, Mew?" Then she closed her eyes and fell silent.
Jessie quietly sobbed. Meowth pawed lightly to her and rested a paw upon her shoulder in sympathy. James watched from a distance.
He longed to comfort Jessie in such a way, but knew that he could not, at least, not without nearly killing her. In the last several months between being separated from her and reunited with her again, he had begun to realize that he really loved her as more than a friend or even a sister-figure as he had often thought of her in the past.
Now, in a time of greatest need, he could not hug her as he had often done when they were afraid, or even lightly rest his hand upon her shoulder anymore. The secret to reversing his electric 'splicing' had surely, along with the secret to Myamoto's cure, died with Giovanni. Things would never be as they were again, nor as they should be.
Jessie rose, laying Myamototwo's head gently down upon the tile floor, brushing the hair out of her face. Meowth followed behind her.
"James, let's go."
"But-"
"I just want to leave this place, let's go."
The three figures, the red-haired and broken woman, the blue-haired young man, and the little cat-pokemon, walked away side by side, with all they had left, each other, in absolute silence.