Chapter 51: Attack.
#51 of Pokemon Rangers 2: Eddies: A pokemon story.
Many things about the entire situation remain confusing, even to this day.
As an example, after the initial fallout following their arrival had subsided, where did the creatures go? Given only speculation remains as to their eventual fate, was the government involved, or had they simply vanished as mysteriously as they arrived?
Or are they living amongst us still, hidden from the prying eyes of the general populace by those sworn to protect them?
Perhaps we'll never know, just as it's as unlikely we'll ever be told the real truth as to their mysterious presence in our world. The government has covered it up, the people involved remain mute, and the creatures themselves; these pokemon; are the biggest enigma of the lot.
At least their presence here has answered one important question that's plagued humanity since the dawn of its creation.
We are not alone.
Perhaps we never have been.
Eddies
Chapter 51: Attack.
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 51
Chris found Scott and Storm still talking to Raikou and Skyy on the rear deck of the farmhouse. With Paul and Gwen away for the evening at a school function for Jimmy's class, they had the place to themselves. They'd finished dinner, and had planned on spending a relaxing evening out of the armies way, with a few cold drinks to while away the hours. However, a knock at the door sent Chris off to investigate the unexpected visitor, and it was some time before he was able to return to the rest of the group, a glum look on his face.
Skyy gave his friend a grin, which dropped quickly as he saw the ruffled state the young human was in, as Chris dropped to the couch beside the lucario, and said to Raikou in particular "Have you seen Suicune since this morning?"
Raikou raised his eyebrow questioningly, but eventually shook his head, so Chris turned to the pair of Rangers, who repeated the negative gesture. Sitting back, cursing under his breath, Raikou finally asked in a concerned voice what the problem was, and how did it affect his brother.
Leaning back, Chris stared up at the ceiling, before giving them the info passed on from his visitor.
"That was Steph at the door. You know, Tony's sister, the army nurse. Well, it seems she had a visit from her brother a bit earlier today, who told her that he and Suicune had a big fight, after Suicune... well... You know what we were worried about, right? Yeah, well Suicune tried it on Tony, and Tony flipped out, and apparently all shit hit the fan. Now, Suicune's vanished somewhere, and Steph couldn't find him."
Raikou sighed out deeply, as Scott exchanged a dark look with his partner, who shrugged.
"Bound to happen, the way they were carrying on!" said Storm, earning himself a searching glare from Raikou, but no further comment on the matter.
"Does anyone know where he might have gone?" asked Chris, concerned at the disappearance of his friend.
Storm pushed his chair back and got up slowly with a groan. "Nope. But I guess we'd better get looking for him, before it gets any later, and I drink any more." Looking around at those gathered at the table, the typhlosion pointed at Raikou and said "OK, you go check around the farm and army base. The soldiers won't mess with you if they take offence at you being there, not if they know whets good for them. Scott and I will go have a chat with the police folk, and see if they've seen him. Chris and Skyy, you pair head to the places you think he might possibly be outside the immediate farmhouse area. You know the farm better than anyone, Chris. Still, is Entei around anywhere, Raikou?"
Raikou shrugged and said "I have not seen him this evening. He is probably asleep somewhere, although I do not know where."
Storm nodded. "Right. Well, let's see if we can find Suicune without further help."
The typhlosion gestured to Scott, who nodded and rose, and the pair left the veranda towards the police admin tent. Raikou followed, and Chris sighed, giving the lucario a hand up and directing him inside, where he retrieved a pair of flash lights from the storage cupboard in the kitchen. Handing one to the lucario, who grinned wryly at him as he grabbed the torch handle in stubby fingers, they made their way out the kitchen door into the rear yard, where Chris considered their options.
Wiggling the lit torch in Chris's face, Skyy joked "You do know my night vision is pretty good without this, right?"
Chris grinned in reply, and said "Yeah, but there's no moon tonight, and mine is shit. I'd rather not be stuck out somewhere in the dark if my light dies on me without warning."
Chuckling, the pokémon patted his shoulder and said "I can always be one of those seeing eye dogs from the television for you, if the poor, blind human can't manage."
Chris gave his friend a leer. "You just want to wear one of those leather harnesses, pervert!"
Skyy laughed, wrapping an arm around Chris's waist, as they weaved through the garden beds, leaving the house yard through the metal swing gate at the rear.
Staring out into the blackness, the lucario asked doubtfully "Where do you think we should look?"
Chris pursed his lip, and considered. "The barn first, then the creek, I think. They're the main areas we've been keeping to since returning. After that, well... Hell, it's a needle in a haystack."
Skyy shrugged. "We start at the beginning, and work our way through."
Chris grinned, and threw an arm around the lucario's shoulder. "Most insightful, as usual. Let's get going."
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It was just after midnight when they crested the rise overlooking the creek bank, and Skyy spotted the huddled blue shape near the water's edge. Rather than shining his light on the pokémon, Chris motioned for Skyy to keep an eye out from above, and made his way down the steep, muddy slope to the area they'd used in weeks past for swimming.
He didn't try hiding his approach, and in the starlight he could just see Suicune curled into a tight ball ahead. The legendary didn't acknowledge his presence, although he obviously knew Chris was there, as Chris winced at tripping over hidden obstacles in the darkness. When the young human eventually made his side, Chris sighed, dropping to the grass near the pokémon's shoulder and reaching out a hand to rest on Suicune's neck.
Stroking the blue fur comfortingly, he felt the muscles beneath quiver at his touch, and he just sat there a few minutes caressing the pokémon until the shaking subsided and Suicune let out a long, quiet sigh.
"Tough day at the office, huh?" Chris said quietly, and the shoulders shrugged, although Suicune kept his head curled beneath him.
"I'm a fool." the pokémon muttered eventually, finally raising his face to stare at the human beside him miserably.
Chris could only make out the silhouette of his head against the starry sky, but knew Suicune would not miss the gesture as he nodded. "We're all fools at times, big guy. Steph came and told me what happened. She's worried about you; both of you, actually."
Suicune sighed again, dropping his head to his paws, but not pulling away as Chris continued his caress.
"I thought things were different, with him I mean. I thought... Well, I thought wrong, obviously."
Chris leaned down and wrapped his arms around the neck, giving Suicune a hard hug. "What? That Tony is your friend, or that you thought he might want more than that?"
Snorting, the blue head turned away and muttered "Both, most likely."
Chris disagreed. "Oh, come on, Blue. You know he likes you, and you like him. So you had a fight? Yeah, a bad one, I know. But do you really want to leave it at that?"
Suicune sighed. "What he said... hurt, Chris. A lot. Then I hurt him back. Arceus, I nearly ripped him apart for what he said, I was so angry! How do I go on from there?"
Chris sat back, keeping one hand on the warm neck, feeling the pulse race beneath. "Do you want my honest opinion? As your friend; one who won't run away from you if you get angry?"
Suicune looked up at him intently, before nodding hesitantly.
Chris stared into his glinting eyes. "You came on pretty strong, Suicune. We all saw it. I remember you scared the shit out of me that time at the Rangers headquarters, and hell... I'm no stranger to that stuff now. Imagine how he felt when you sprang that on him, unaware?"
Sighing, Suicune dropped his head miserably. "I didn't mean to scare him. It was just... a moment, and I misread it."
Chris nodded. "And he freaked, and said really shit things which he regrets totally. Steph had a talk with him. He's miserable too. Between the two of you is enough pig headed stubbornness to ruin a perfectly good friendship, if neither of you is willing to relent a little and go see if you can both talk it through."
Looking away again, Suicune muttered "I made a complete fool of myself."
Chris grinned, teeth flashing whitely in the night. "Yeah, you did. Completely and totally. In reply, he acted like a scared, chicken shit little arse hat. Who is the bigger idiot?"
Snorting in amusement, Suicune turned back to Chris. "Lovely impression you have of us, Chris. How can I ever live it down?"
Nodding, Chris slapped his neck affectionately. "Blue, I'll always be your friend. So will Skyy, and Scott and Storm. If you ever need a shoulder, we'll be there for you. That's what friends are for." Smirking, he added with a sly look. "Just keep your big, hairy groping paw out of my pants, is all. I already have one of those down there regularly, and I'm starting to chafe!"
Letting out a peal of growling laughter, Suicune rose, and walked beside his friend as they headed to the path to the bank. But as they approached the rise, Suicune's ears flattened as a resounding concussion swept through the long grass above them, and Skyy's anxious face peered down at them.
"Quick! Come up! Something is happening, and it sounds bad!"
As another explosion rocked the night sky, sending a wave of red light to silhouette the trees above, the distant racket of rifle fire pealed from the distant farmhouse, and Chris rushed to clamber up the bank to join the nervous lucario, Suicune following closely behind.
From the top, they stood in disbelief as yet another explosion rocked the army camp, and cries from the distant base could be heard indistinctly.
Aghast, Chris stood stunned, but received a nudge from Suicune, who dropped his belly to the earth and said simply "Climb on!"
Clambering onto the broad blue back, Chris hung on for dear life as the legendary raced across the rolling fields towards the farmhouse, with the lucario matching his speed besides them.
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They were met with a scene of chaos, with the base lit up by flaming vehicles and several burning buildings. When something whizzed past Chris ear, he ducked instinctively, dropping from the broad back to land heavily beside the legendary, as all three of them dived behind a water tanker to escape the assault.
Ahead, a group of soldiers had taken cover wherever possible, and were shooting back at their attackers across the compound. Several officers were trying to coordinate their efforts, but the sudden nature of the attack had clearly taken the army by surprise, as only a small number of those seeking shelter had access to their weapons.
When a heavy hand dropped on his shoulder from behind, Chris cried out, but spun to see Storm hovering behind him, as grim an expression on the furred face as Chris had seen. Scott was nearby, squatting behind some pallets of supplies, and the Ranger gave his partner a wave as Storm confirmed the others were unhurt.
Above the deafening raucous, Chris yelled out "Who is attacking?" and Storm leaned down to yell "Dunno, but I'd give you two guesses!"
Shit, thought Chris, as he felt a clawed hand creep into his own. Skyy gave him a strained grin, and he squeezed the paw reassuringly, when a huge furred blur tore across the compound to slide to a halt beside them.
"There was no warning!" called our Raikou, pointing his muzzle at the distant flashes of gunfire. "They approached under cover of darkness, and just started shooting and blowing things up! Either there are more of them than we know, or they're insane, taking on a base this size!"
Chris heard Storm mutter "Insane, I'd say" before he turned to Raikou and said "We need to end this now, before anyone else is killed!"
Raikou nodded. "Yes. What do you suggest?"
Storm peered past the rear fender of the truck, and considered. "Those army guys are all pinned down, while those bastards keep lobbing grenades into the surrounding buildings. It's like they're just trying to cause as much chaos as possible. If that's their intent, they're likely distracted and not keeping as close a watch from behind as they should be, so we need to strike them there."
Considering, the typhlosion called out to Scott "Rear flank 'em, as we distract from the front?"
From his position, Scott thought a moment, then nodded.
Satisfied, Storm turned to Raikou and Suicune and said dryly "Don't suppose you two would be kind enough to take them out from behind, while we cause a diversion for you?"
Giving his brother a quick glance, Raikou returned the look grimly. "It would be my pleasure, Ranger. I believe Entei is keeping watch on Chris's family, who returned not that long ago, so even with it being just the two of us, it should not be difficult."
Concerned, Chris reached out his hands, placing one on Raikou's neck, and the other on Suicune's shoulder. "Don't get shot!" he warned, and Raikou flashed him a toothy grin.
"No, Chris, it will not be my intention if I could help it!"
With that, the pair spun and took off, sprinting through the nearby structures to be lost in the darkness behind.
Turning to Storm, Chris said worriedly "So, what now?"
The typhlosion let out a manic grin, long fangs flashing in the flickering light from overhead, and he said "Now, we do what we're born to do. Skyy, I want you to take the right flank. Get to just behind that row of soldiers sheltering near the mess hall, and start lobbing Aura Spheres at 'em. You know what we've been practicing, right?"
At the lucario's nod, Storm continued "I'll head with Scott to the left, and do the same from there. We need to buy those two enough of a distraction that those bastards don't see them coming. Keep 'em pinned until those two tackle 'em from the rear. But for Arceus sake, keep under cover, and keep your shields up!"
Nodding, Skyy gave the typhlosion an intent look, all business as he grabbed for Chris's hand. Without further thought, the pair sprinted to slip up behind the mess, even as Storm rejoined Scott and make their way to the other side.
A roar from Storm echoed through the night, causing a momentary pause in firing from both sides, as Skyy stood tall behind the unsuspecting soldiers and began lobbing balls of blue fire at the enemy. When one so-called friendly soldier panicked, turning his rifle to bear on the lucario, Chris threw himself onto the man, screaming "He's on our side, idiot!" After a brief struggle, the soldier froze, catching himself before nodding at Chris, who released his hold on the rifle barrel in relief.
With the new attack, the enemies attention was focussed on Skyy, and the night was suddenly ablaze with tracers as they began firing on the lucario. Whipping up a paw, Skyy threw up an Aura Shield before himself and the friendly soldiers, deflecting the projectiles as he continued to fling Aura Spheres at the enemy position.
With their attention diverted, Storm and Scott struck from the far flank. Releasing a cloud of smoke to hide his position, the typhlosion sent a vast sheet of fire forward, engulfing the nearest of the enemy in a flaming conflagration. With their screams tearing through the night, the pokémon sent further Eruptions into their midst, before diving to cover besides Scott, who had been firing his pistol towards their positions with grim intensity.
With their attention now firmly focussed on the dangers ahead, the opposing force had no time to acknowledge the devastating forces suddenly unleashed from behind them.
The first they knew of the second attack, was being flattened by spiralling jolts of electricity which arced down from overhead, jumping from soldier to soldier, sending them crashing to the ground in pain. When a crash of thunder followed, many were flung aside clasping their bleeding ears, senses reeling from the assault.
When their breath then began freezing into mist, some of the remaining enemy started searching for the new threat, but were ill prepared at the sudden drop in temperature which preceded the flurry of ice-shards driven by the howling winds that engulfed their position. Most had no knowledge of what had occurred, as their bodies stiffened in the chill, freezing solid where they lay or impaled on the icy spears penetrating their bodies.
Within moments, the last of the enemy were neutralised, either dead or incapacitated, and the army soldiers were quick to mop up what little resistance remained.
Still, the final accounting was appalling. Seventeen dead soldiers, thirty injured, and over forty enemy killed or wounded. The surprise nature of the attack had been most devastating, and had the pokémon not intervened, the death count could have been much higher.
With the worst of it over, Scott met with Storm and the others in an area behind the mess, counting the cost of the attack. Thankfully, none of the group had been injured, although Chris still took the time to go over each of the pokémon carefully, looking for any damage.
Kicking an enemy corpse roughly, Storm growled "Bastards thought they could attack without warning. Fucking cowards!"
Unsurprised at his partners response, Scott grabbed a nearby officer and said "Is this all of them? How'd they get in here undetected?"
The man made to shrug off the hand angrily, but gulped when Storm bent close and hissed through gritted fangs "You were asked a question, human!"
Shaking, the man said "They came overland, we think. Took out the sentries, and were in position to attack as a group. We didn't have a chance, until... Well, you guys showed up. Thanks for that." he finished lamely, eyeing the pokémon nervously, and the typhlosion nodded gruffly.
Suicune, who had been standing behind Chris and Raikou, jerked around at the words, before gripping the humans shirt in a clenched paw and dragging him around to face him. "They took out the sentries? Which sentries?"
Confronted with yet another monster, the officer blanched, shaking visible as he stuttered his reply "All of them, we think! All those on the western side, at least!"
Releasing his hold in the man, who took his leave to hurry away, Suicune took a jerking step back, then a second, a faint cry leaving his lips as he shot Chris a frantic, wide eyed look. "Tony was out there!" he stammered, spinning abruptly to take off into the night towards the distant area where he thought his friend had been patrolling.
Chris took one look into Raikou's grim face before he and Skyy clambered onto the broad proffered back, and they followed the blue legendary into the night.
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Tony kicked out at a bush on the side of the trail savagely, watching the branches snap beneath his boot.
Giving the innocent shrubbery a guilty glance, he strode further down the path, deciding as far as company went, his own thoughts sucked mightily.
While he hated to admit it, Steph had been right, as usual. Regardless of how he tried justifying himself, his actions that morning had been pretty disgraceful, and whether there was any justification behind them or not, what he'd said to Suicune was... Well, awful.
Slumping glumly onto a small outcropping of granite, he swung his rifle to a more comfortable position on his back and rubbed his face as he took stock of his thoughts.
Steph hadn't been kind, but Tony had been much, much worse. Wincing as he recalled his response to Suicune's advance, as well as the look of devastation on his face, he admitted finally to himself that the pokémon wasn't the bad guy here. Lonely and misguided, perhaps, but not deserving of Tony's harsh response.
Sure, he'd misread his human friend completely. Tony was firm on that. He wasn't interested, and just didn't see the big guy in that way. Shamefaced though, Tony considered Stephs revelations about the legendaries age, and desperate loneliness, and he rubbed his face again, disgusted with himself.
"You're an ass, Tony" he muttered, scratching beneath his helmet as he finally realised what he had to do.
Apologise. As soon as he could.
Assuming the pokémon would forgive him, after what he'd said.
Sighing again, he made to rise and continue his patrol, when a faint rustle from the bushes further down the path attracted his attention.
Unable to see much of anything under the darkened night sky, he squinted off towards the source of the noise, trying to determine the cause. But when it stopped as quickly as it started, he flicked on his helmet torch and grinned in relief, shining the bright beam in the direction.
"Suicune? Is that you?" he said, and the rustling resumed, and a dark shape materialised from the night before him.
"Unlikely!" said a quiet, strange human voice from the darkness, as his torch beam targeted a mercenary soldier, in full night camouflage and sporting night vision goggles, with his rifle raised and aimed at his chest.
Tony froze for a crucial moment, which was all it took. The silenced rifle spat muted fire in his direction twice, and he jerked back as the impact against his chest threw him to the ground.
With overwhelming pain blossoming from his ribs, Tony clutched frantically beneath his vest, fingers scrabbling ineffectively on his shirt fabric, where blood began pooling from the two bullet wounds to ooze past his numbed fingers.
With his vision blacking out, he saw the masked face bend close and an increasingly distant voice hiss "He's dead. Leave him!", before a gloved hand reached down to his face, turning off his helmet torch and sending him reeling into darkness.
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Authors note:
I did warn you things were beginning to happen.
I didn't say everything was going to be pleasant.
But then again, you're not just here for the murrs and the yiffs, are you.
(Gods, I hate those words...)