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Eddies

Chapter 38: It begins...

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Eddies 38 - It Begins...

It was the waiting that dragged at him.

It seemed like they'd been lying in position for a year, although his watch told him that little more than an hour had passed since they'd reached their designated marshalling spot.

Creeping from cover to espy the distant building with his night vision binoculars, Chris could see little movement within the grounds of the vast, sprawling complex that perched ominously on its hilltop foundations.

A few guards wandered the grounds, but none seemed overly excited. Either they were doing an excellent job of acting, or Sinnotech were truly oblivious to the large force of Ranger's slowly circling them.

Chris prayed it was the latter.

He felt a warm presence settle besides him, and passed the binoculars over to Skyy. While the lucario's far sight was leagues ahead of his, even the pokemon gained significant clarity when using the optical aid. Using the optics, he had been able to detect small issues the humans had missed. Besides, as Chris leaned against his friend, the companionable warmth had him thinking less of the mission about to commence, not to mention the multitude of things that might go disastrously wrong for the Rangers.

He was terrified to death. But it wasn't going to stop him doing his duty, by both the Rangers and his friends.

In the final briefing, Barklay confirmed their final objectives. One: secure the complex and neutralise all opposition. Two: secure the portal and its associated technology. Three: secure the building, and hold it against all opposition.

It was number two that Chris and his friends had been given as their goal, and assigned to the force that were to storm the vast complexes lower levels to capture the portal. The fact it might be his only chance of ever getting home was considered secondary, even to him.

Sighing, he shrugged deeper into his parka, as the biting cold seeped into his bones. "Unusually chill weather" had been the forecast, and it'd lived up to expectations. "Fucking freezing" was his own opinion, and it seemed no matter how many layers of clothing he'd donned, the frigid chill still continued to have made it to his core.

A few feet away, Storm lay on the hard ground, oblivious of the ground's temperature. He wore a grim expression that seemed at odds to his usual demeanour. Whether it was the pending mission, or the hour long grilling he'd received from Barklay the day before, Chris was unsure. Either way, Chris wasn't about to cross the typhlosion for love nor money.

The legendary trio were somewhere behind, keeping themselves hidden in the dense woodland they'd passed through. Unusually silent, even the normally intractable Suicune had said little since they'd woken that morning. Raikou had offered few words to anyone, and Entei had kept mute since the prior day. Perhaps his hangover still plagued him, Chris mused, but again didn't want to risk a confrontation finding out.

Besides, they all knew what was at stake. Personalities were unlikely to cause difficulties when so much was on the line.

A small sigh had him turning to his friend, who passed back the binoculars. "Nothing's changed" the lucario whispered, and Chris nodded, before passing on word to the others. It was now 0510, and the wait for the mission to begin was torturous.

He hoped things wouldn't drag much longer, because....

BOOM! An explosion rocked the front gatehouse, sending a rolling fireball into the darkened sky. Stunned, Chris froze a moment, until a swift word from Scott brought him back to reality.

Several flares were sent up by the distant forces, and the dark grounds around the buildings were suddenly awash with light. The distant forms of the Ranger's shock troops could be seen swarming through the clouds of tear gas erupting from the gatehouse, spreading out to take what little cover was available. The guards on duty stood no chance. A few formed small pockets of resistance which were quickly subdued, but most simply laid down their weapons and surrendered.

In all, it seemed too good to be true.

Which is what it turned out to be.

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On the far side of the portal, Bill had spent a lazy afternoon with Shadow, Azil and Jimmy, running through various training scenario's to ensure the pair of pokemon were in peak condition when they were finally called for. It had been a steep relearning curve for the young officer, who found it ironic to be spending many hours reviewing Jimmy's online pokedex, as well as watching episode after episode of the animated show, in an attempt to gain as much background knowledge on his charge as he could.

He'd even ended up getting his own 3DS second-hand from one of Jimmy's friends, who was flabbergasted that he was selling his old, cracked screen unit to a grown policeman, of all people! Unfortunately, or fortunately depending which way you looked at it, Jim had let slip the existence of the two pokemon to his friend, who had then told other friends, and Bill was chagrined to find out the secret was fast becoming the worst kept ever. When his training audience began including several strangers, all under fifteen years of age, Bill cornered Jim, who confessed sheepishly to having snuck a few friends over, as he'd become sick of being called a liar by his peers.

Rolling his eyes, Bill didn't berate him too much. Hell, had the situation been reversed, he would likely have acted similarly. But when the army people discovered the leak of information, the shit hit the fan, and Bill found himself hauled out in front of Cameron and his army general counterpart for a "please explain" session.

Shit, he wasn't responsible for the kid's actions, Bill grumbled, pushing through the office door in the makeshift HQ fabricated building. He'd just been unfortunate to be the one who discovered the newcomers on-site.

As the General's grilling became harsher, Bill began losing his temper. Firstly, he didn't answer to this arse hat and second, it was a bit late trying to put a lid on the situation, when the cat, or luxray, was already well out of the bag.

Not that pointing this out to the army officer helped any, as even Cameron winced when the soldier's anger multiplied when he tried. But when Shadow stepped forward, putting herself right before the general, snarling loudly at the officer who backed away in alarm, things became more interesting. Eyes narrowed as she spat out a long statement in angry pokespeak, in no uncertain terms she stated that she owed this ignorant arsehole human nothing, didn't need to answer to him or anyone, and he'd better watch his mouth around her and her partner from now on, or she was going to shove 30,000 volts right up his rear pipe. The anger in her voice needed little in the way of translation, and the tent became quieter than a library. While the others couldn't understand her, it didn't take a degree in rocket science to realise pissing off a hundred pounds of furious feline capable of zapping them to hell and back was not a wise career move.

When the General finally shot Bill a loaded look, advising him to calm his partner, he shrugged and spelt out the facts; Shadow was his friend, not his possession, and they'd better start realising it sooner rather than later, before she decided they were no longer people she wanted to deal with.

With that, the General stormed from the meeting. While nothing further was said from the army on the incident, Bill sighed and accepted the chewing out they both received from Cameron, in that a little bit more political correctness might make everyone's lives easier in the future. Even Shadow accepted his rebuke with lowered eyes and ears, but when Cameron sighed and patted her neck, she perked up and purred.

"It's a tense standoff here, Son. They're just waiting for any excuse to pull the pin on this "collaboration" between police and armed forces, and do things their own way. I'd appreciate it if you two could be a little more placating around that man. Yes, he's a prick, but unfortunately he's a prick we need on our side."

Bill had Shadow send another thunderbolt towards the charmander, who dodged nimbly out of the line of fire. She snarled as the bolt missed, baring her teeth at the orange lizard, who grinned toothily at her in return.

As far as meetings had gone, he'd sooner have forgotten that one. Shadow had approached him later, apologising for her outburst in a quiet voice, but he gave her a hug and told her that regardless, the human wasn't going to come to terms with the situation, and anything she'd said wouldn't make him change his mind.

Glancing down at his wrist, Bill drew up some stats on his smart phone. Having sourced a wrist mounted strap case made using the Pokedroid app much easier, but he'd have given a lot for a proper Pokedex; one that would keep him updated on Shadows stats in real time figures.Compared to playing the game, the limited technology at his disposal had him relying on visual conditions more than he wanted, as when adrenalin kicked in, it was hard to keep updated as to her real, current condition.

Bill called for her to Tackle and Bite, but again the charmander proved too nimble for her attack. Seeing Jimmy give him a broad smirk from the far side of the arena had him laughing in reply, and he gave the kid a thumbs up for effort, exhilarated despite himself.The small red lizard was a surprisingly difficult opponent, and even Shadow begrudgingly complimented the pair on their efforts in working as a team.

They never seemed to train without an audience though. Many of the police officers assigned to the farm kept ongoing odds on the mock battles, and while Bill had no delusions some of the soldiers present had been sent to keep an eye on them, reporting their actions back to the General, he knew quite a few were there simply to watch the spectacle. Add the small group of kids cheering them on, and the hours they spent every day seemed to pass relatively quickly.

Indeed, Bill soon found his childhood daydream of competing in the Pokemon League resurfacing as a fleeting desire that, perhaps, might have a greater hope of occurring than he could have realised. After all, when this was all over, who knows whether they might get an opportunity to visit Shadow's home world, if the portals were ever reinstated.

He mentioned this to the luxray one evening, as the pair lay cuddled in his bed. She raised her head and stared into his face, wondering if he was kidding, but seeing he was genuine, dropped back against him with a sigh. With his arms around her neck, he nuzzled her ears and said softly "Well?"

She squirmed around to face him, and replied "You would return home with me?"

Nodding, he touched her nose with his own, and said quietly "Of course. If you don't want to stay here, that is."

She shrugged, and dropped her head onto the pillow, still watching him with her deep red eyes. "I don't know what will happen. But I will stay with you, no matter what."

They'd fallen asleep with that comforting thought. But, deep inside, Bill still worried that her previous partner might try and reclaim her. If he did, he'd be in for a battle worthy of the Pokemon League!

Shadow landed a few feet from him with a thud, sending a cloud of dust rising around her. She'd dodged a ball of flame sent from Azil, and snarled a reply, sending a Thunderbolt back in return. As he saw her panting in the hot afternoon heat, Bill waved his arms, signalling an end to the sparring bout, although Shadow protested she'd almost had the charmander cornered. Bill laughed, even as some of Jim's friends sprinted forward with a bowl of ice water for Shadow and tall glasses of lemonade for the humans and the charmander.

He could get used to this, Bill mused, sipping from the frosted glass in pleasure. Hell, if it was this satisfying battling with one pokemon, what would it be like with a team of four, or six?

Shaking his head, he broke his daydreaming, and gave Jim a clap on the shoulder. The kid had recovered from his snake bite surprisingly well, and while still easily tired, had otherwise made a full recovery. The broad, excited grin he returned made his feelings clear, even as Azil dropped into the shade of the tree they'd rested beneath, and said between panting "Fun!"

Hell yeah, Bill thought. Awesome fun!

It was the gasp from Jim that alerted him something was amiss. Bill had dropped besides Shadow, resting back against her flank with his eyes shut, amidst amused grumbles that she was nothing more than a lazy human's armchair. At the young human's exclamation, Shadow looked up and started, the jolt sending Bill's eyes open.

Ahead, amidst the tinkle of shattered glass, Azil had dropped his drink and stiffened, even as a glowing orange nimbus surrounded him. As they watched, he began to grow, stretching up and out until, with a final blaze of amber light that had their eyes watering, the astonished onlookers stared in amazement as a stunned-appearing chameleon appeared before them, staring down at his longer arms in amazement.

Jimmy, gaping mouth finally closing, approached his newly changed friend somewhat nervously, but with a cry, was engulfed in a hug from Azil, who now stood equal height to his young human friend. As the pair exchanged back slaps, even as Jimmy and his friends admired the chameleon's new appearance, Bill chuckled, shut his eyes and leaned back to lie against Shadow.

"Wake me when the excitement is over, sweetheart" he said, and her gurgling laugh rumbled through his back where he pressed against her.

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Stalking through the factory complex took on a surreal aspect all of its own.

The place was practically deserted. Apart from the minimal guards on watch at the entrance, the groups sent to scour the interior met little resistance, and few individuals at all seemed to be occupying the place.

Something seemed terribly wrong with the entire scenario.

The Rangers had been split into their individual groups, and each headed off to their specific goal within the complex. Once the entrances were secure, Rangers branched off to scour the administration complex located on the upper floors, while others left to tackle any armed individuals sent to resist them.

Scott had been ordered to penetrate the sub-basement levels, and secure the portal facilities. With Chris and his friends in tow, they soon found themselves deep in the bowels of the building, in a dimly lit corridor that penetrated into the darkness ahead.

Storm pressed his back against the damp basement wall, fur prickling as his hackles involuntarily rose in warning.

"This ain't right" he whispered into his throat mike, and Scott suppressed his verbal agreement. The typhlosion was correct; something wasn't right here.

A facility this large should have teams of workers and security within. Their pre-op assessment revealed the place never shut; convoys of vehicles and staff entered and left the complex in an ongoing parade of activity. The place ran seven days a week, and even in its off hours the complex operation continued unabated.

Except today. Today was different.

Today, something was definitely not right.

The group had paused at an intersecting corridor. Even the irrepressible Entei was subdued in the dark, dank environment, and had joined his brothers in deferring to the Rangers. In this Chris was thankful, as the last thing they needed were rogue pokemon. But the place subdued them all, and they were content to keep to his and Skyy's heels, even as the pair followed closely behind the two Rangers.

Storm put up a paw, claws extended as he motioned for the group to halt. Suicune, showing his nerves, hadn't been paying attention, and ploughed into Chris, near sending him flying forwards.In the confusion a glare from the typhlosion had the blue legendary dropping his head in shame. Storm sniffed, once then again, and gave Scott a loaded glance which the human Ranger returned grimly.

"There ain't no one here. No one at all. That ain't right!"

Scott stiffened. "Do you think it's a trap?"

Storm considered giving his partner a look, before shrugging. "Dunno. But our Intel said this place should be full of humans, and it's not. It stinks, yeah."

Scott pondered the reply. "Do we pull out?" he said in concern, but the typhlosion had no answer.

Chris felt a soft paw creep into his hands, and looked over to see a nervous lucario pressed against him. Muscling up a smile, he gripped the fingers reassuringly, although inside, he wanted to scream and bolt for the exit. Skyy's lips lifted tentatively, but his shoulders shook slightly. At this point, being anywhere but here seemed like a fine idea.

Raikou's rumble from behind reached the two Rangers in the lead. "I can smell human ahead. Only one, and it is strangely familiar. I cannot place it, but it is known to me somehow."

Scott nodded back, and whispered "No one else though?" He was unsurprised when the legendary shook his head."No."

"Shit!" cursed the Ranger, letting out a huff of frustration, before relaying the information back to the operational base. They waited several minutes for a response as those in charge considered their findings, until Barklay's gruff voice came down the channel to them.

"I don't like this at all! It smells like ponyta shit! I want everyone not dealing with the enemy troops to withdraw, immediately!"

Affirmatives came across the radio from the team leaders of the various groups, even as Scott breathed a sigh of relief. Given their experience dealing with the slippery Sinnotech bastards had earlier resulted in Storm's long term capture and torture, and so many Rangers dead, he wasn't unhappy to see the operation pulled early.

Unfortunately, the look on his partners face belied his relief.

"Can't leave yet. We need to check out that human sign ahead."

"Forget it!" said Scott exasperatedly. "It's not important!"

His partner replied grimly "And if it is? What if it can shed light on this?"

Scott cursed, dropping to a crouch as he considered their options. The big, hairy bastard was right, of course. If they left now, they might not get the Intel they needed.

"Shit! Alright, we keep going for another five minutes. If we find nothing, we turn around and get the fuck out of here!"

Storm nodded affirmative, turning to the rest and gave a clawed OK sign. Chris exchanged looks with his friends, none of whom seemed willing to disagree with the Rangers, so he nodded in resignation.

His bad feeling didn't retreat, though. If anything, it had gotten suddenly worse.

Creeping down the deserted corridors reminded Chris nothing more of computer games he'd played, where something bad was waiting for him ahead in the dark, ready to spring out and claw his face off. Suppressing his fear, he followed the pair as they crept forward, until they reached a huge set of steel doors, heavily fortified, which were labelled "Portal operation."

The doors were slightly ajar. A loud humming echoed from within, along with a dull shimmering light which flickered past the opening to illuminate the groups face dimly.

Chris knew that light. Their goal was close.

Both Raikou and Storm took in a deep breath, nasal passages widening as they drew in the scents from within. Even Skyy took a whiff, but couldn't place the scent; the heavy presence of dirty machinery and ozone stifled his sense of smell.

Scott paused, examining the doors carefully. While he could see no signs of booby traps he was taking no chances.Rifling his pack, he withdrew a small mechanics mirror on a telescopic rod, extending it through the opening and rotating it to view within.

It was as empty as the corridors they'd traversed. The far wall was enveloped in the shimmering frame of a transworld portal; much, much larger than the ancient one they'd travelled through to Chris's world weeks earlier. Over thirty feet across, it dwarfed the heavy banks of computer equipment surrounding it, all the while releasing an ominous hum into the room. Several doors, most of which were open, lead from the huge room to unknown destinations. One was shut and a dim electric light could be seen glowing from the crack beneath the doors base.

Otherwise, the room was unlit. Dark, oppressive and extremely ominous.

"I don't want to risk opening this door further. I can't see any triggers, but this place is giving me the creeps.Where is everyone?"

Storm shrugged, squatting down behind his partner to glance over his shoulder into the mirror. "Someone needs to go in there and check it out. I'll go."

Scott shook his head. "Forget it. You'll never fit through there without pushing it open. I think it's best if I..."

"I'll go." said Skyy quietly, interrupting the Ranger, who paused and looked at him inscrutably.

"It could be dangerous?" Scott warned, and Chris rested his hand on the lucario's shoulder, ready to protest.

Skyy was adamant. "You won't fit, Scott. The only one who stands a chance is me. I won't be gone long."

With that, he pushed past the startled Rangers, slipping through the cracked door before they could protest. Lips pressed tightly at the impetuous pokemon, Scott returned to watching the lucario's progress through his mirror, even as Chris squirmed to see his friend depart.

The room was indeed vacant, and Skyy bolted through the huge empty chamber using extremespeed, only pausing once he reached the shadow of a huge column to catch his breath. While his act of bravado had caught the others by surprise, the reality was, he was terrified to be there, and only his hope to hasten their departure lent him the courage to enter the room alone.

Gaining the far wall, he spun from open door to open door, each revealing an office empty of occupants. The place looked like it had been deserted in haste, as signs of their presence were everywhere. Half drunk coffee sat beside unfinished sandwiches, still lying in congealing glory on their plates. Sniffing the air didn't assist him to a great extent, as the ozone stench was much worse inside the chamber the closer he was to the portal. In fact, so bad was the stink at this close range, his sense of smell had almost deserted him, and it wasn't until he'd finally reached the last office door that a taint of familiarity crept into his nose.

What the hell?

It couldn't be!

Grasping the handle in his paw, he drew a large breath, shutting his eyes as he turned the knob and pushed the door open. As light spilled past, he opened lids to gaze at the room's sole inhabitant, battered and still lying trussed tightly in rope on several blankets haphazardly discarded against the far wall. The room stank of unwashed, sick human, and the sudden influx of fresh, rank scent into his nose near sent him retching.

But there was no denying who it was, as the head slowly turned, revealing a pale face within the matted hair, filthy and bleeding, which raised itself to stare at him. With one eye swollen shut, and the other red and watery, it took a moment for the human to focus on the intruder and, as recognition dawned, it drew in a harsh gasp and stared at the lucario in disbelief.

"Skyy?" it said in a raspy, disused voice, and the lucario shut his eyes again in sudden fear, pressing against the doorframe which he gripped as wild panic enveloped him.

"Shit! Jasper?"

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Authors note:

Dad da da DUM!

Err, again!! In stereo!

I have a thing for shock endings. They're shocking! ;)

I should have a competition to determine how many chapters remain to the story. Err, so, if anyone can guess what chapter number I finish on, I'll... err... include their name as a character in the next story!

I'm so generous, huh Azil ;)

Otherwise, who can guess what's going to happen next?

Seriously! I'm still making it up as I go, and plagiarising good ideas keeps me amused ;>

Well??? Don't be shy!