PW! - Lab Work
William Rendfeld
“So, you haven’t seen ‘Star Wars’.”
“Nope.”
“‘Star Trek’?”
“Nuh-uh.”
“‘Babylon 5’? ‘Battlestar Galactica’? ‘Stargate’?”
“I don’t watch television and I don’t see a lot of movies.”
Alex shook her head in amazement at her traveling partner’s seeming
lack of pop culture knowledge. She’d quizzed him on every television
program and motion picture and comic book she could think of while
they drove, from Superman to CSI, and Nicholas had expressed little if
any knowledge of the various subjects. He recognized they were various
media, but couldn’t list off any specifics about them.
“Well what do you do when you’re not doing chores or setting up for
a performance?”
“I read.” At the girl’s glance, he explained, “Dad was big on
reading.”
A smile crossed the girl’s lips. “Please tell me you’ve read the
Sherlock Holmes stories.”
“Every one at least once.”
“The Harry Potter series?”
“Cried at the end.”
“Lord of the Rings?”
The young man gave a somewhat uneasy response. “Not a bad book, but
Tolkein’s style is a bit dry for my taste. I preferred ‘The Hobbit’.”
Alex gave a relieved chuckle. “And here I was afraid you’d been
totally raised in isolation.”
A raised eyebrow. “Is that a bad thing?”
“No, it’s just weird.” She leaned forward, noticing a tall brick
fence in the distance. “Hang on, looks like we’re coming up on Prof.
Krane’s lab.”
The camper slowed, Nicholas pulling off to the side of the earthen
road before coming to a halt. The two disembarked, the young woman at
the head, and made their way onto the lab’s property.
The building itself was a fairly impressive one – two stories, a
large Poké Ball mounted atop its roof, its surfaces a clean and
inviting mix of off-white and grey. All around it were well-kept lawns
and grasses, a number of trees forming a rough half-circle around its
rearmost areas. Several people, many whom the duo assumed to be lab
technicians and passing trainers, milled about the grounds, some
chatting excitedly while others went about their business. The two
young people made their way up the stone path and into the main
portion of the building, a rounded area, and made their way inside to
a reception desk.
The receptionist looked up as they entered, flashing a smile in
greeting. “Welcome to the Krane Pokémon Laboratory! How may I help
you?”
Alex gave a small smile in relief as she approached the desk. “Hi –
I have an appointment to speak with Professor Krane.”
“Just one second – name please?”
“Alexandria Masters.”
The young woman quickly went through records on her computer. “Here
you are. He’s in his office upstairs – just take the elevator at the
back of the hall behind me up. The professor’s office should be the
first door to your right.”
“Thanks.” Alex turned back to her traveling companion. “Coming
with?”
Until that point, Nicholas had been absent-mindedly glancing around
the room, taking it in with almost childlike curiosity and awe. Upon
the young woman’s prompt, however, he quickly turned back to face her.
“Oh, sorry. No, I’ll stay here and wait.”
“Alright – don’t go wandering off, I won’t be long.”
As Alex made her way to the elevator, Nicholas parked himself down
upon a bench and leaned back. He didn’t mind the wait – people-
watching was occasionally amusing, and after all, something
interesting might just come along.
“Pardon us, miss, we’re with Crypto Systems. We were told you had
some software problems?”
Nicholas cast a glance towards the trio that had stepped up to the
desk with Alex’s absence. One was taller, somewhat bulky, while the
remaining two were shorter and slimmer, a young man and woman
respectively. All three were well-dressed, with clean suits and
leather bags slung over one shoulder.
“Oh yes, here you are. Why three of you?”
“These two are fresh qualifiers – I’m just here to evaluate.”
“Oh. Okay, fair enough, head on in.”
Perhaps it was a little misplaced paranoia, but the young Aura
Guardian couldn’t help but feel slightly uneasy.
-
Thanks to her father’s profession, Alex had the pleasure of meeting
several professors from throughout the Kanto, Johto and Hoenn regions.
However, Prof. Krane was among those she’d never met. As she exited
the elevator, she briefly entertained the notion of him being some
easily-startled academic or a somewhat creepy middle-aged man.
She paused and shook her head – she’d been reading way too many
comic books.
Finally, she reached the office, heavy doors sliding away before
her, and poked her head in. “Excuse me, Professor Krane? I’m Alex
Masters – I contacted you a couple days ago?”
The man who greeted her was lean and somewhat lanky, with a bushy
head of brown hair and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses. He turned away
from his computer with pleased surprise. “Alex! Come in, come in!” As
the young woman entered, he continued, “Your e-mail said that you
managed to obtain a Shadow Pokémon – no offense, but I find that
somewhat surprising.”
“Well, it’s genuine.” Alex settled into a seat. “I came here hoping
that you’d be able to help shed light on what’s going on. Last I
checked the only group that had proper facilities for creating Shadow
Pokémon was Team Cipher.”
“That’s true, so far as I know.” He grew solemn. “But the
organization is just called ‘Cipher’, not ‘Team Cipher’. When you’re
held captive by a group, you remember the name forever.”
“My mistake.”
“I can forgive it. And unfortunately, this is the first I’ve heard
of Cipher being active outside of Orre, or even being active for some
time. The last I heard of their activity was a couple years ago, and
they were soundly defeated. The son of a friend of mine did it, but
the family’s moved away since then.”
“Sounds like the third time will have to be the charm. Have any
information about their bases you can share with me?”
“Some – hold on.” He turned to his desk and opened a drawer,
sorting through a few odd cartridges. “You use a PokéNav, correct? It
shouldn’t be too hard to upload the map software for Orre, I just need
to find the…aha!” He produced a small device, a few slots and a USB
cable visible. “Adapter unit – special order from the Devon
Corporation.”
Alex quickly produced her PokéNav. “I’m impressed. You sure it
works?”
“This is my first time testing it out, but it’s still under
warranty.”
The girl gave a shrug, then handed over her map unit. “While that’s
being taken care of, what can you tell me about the process of
creating a Shadow Pokémon?”
“Unfortunately, I know very little about the creation process.
Based on what little I’ve figured out, it’s at least partly chemical.
That may explain why the taint fades over time, and why colognes work
to a degree; the chemicals necessary to strengthen whatever is
initially done are metabolized, slowly in some cases and faster in
others. It also has a psychological component – being around other
Pokémon helps to reduce the taint significantly. That was part of the
basis behind my purification chamber, healthy Pokémon helping to drive
the taint out from a Shadowed one.”
“You haven’t gotten rid of it, have you?”
“No, it’s still operable, we just have it in mothballs. Better safe
than sorry.”
-
His concerns refusing to leave him, Nicholas rose from his bench
and approached the receptionist. “Excuse me, that door those three
computer people just entered? What’s in there?”
“Oh, that’s the purification chamber. A few years ago, it was used
to help purge the taint from a number of Shadow Pokémon…” Realization
dawning on her, she quickly moved to her phone. “Professor Krane? We
have a…”
BOOM
The entire building shuddered, the young man and the worker
grabbing onto the desk in order to steady themselves. As the shaking
stopped, Nicholas rushed to the door. It opened as he reached it,
smoke issuing from inside the room and the three pseudo-tech support
workers turning to him with satisfaction on their faces, a Magnezone
between them with electricity arcing among its three massive magnets
and between the two large screws and single antenna on its top.
“Well, looks like we’ve got us a witness.” The three workers threw
up disguises, revealing semi-symmetrical white body armor over black
full-body suits, their faces obscured by reflective visors and freely-
billowing scarves stretching out behind them like wings. “Spread the
news, kid – Cipher is back.”
As if from nowhere, a Poké Ball appeared in his hand. “Yeah, but
you aren’t going anywhere!”
-
The numerous trainers and technicians who had gathered outside were
practically statues, watching in surprise as the people in the main
building streamed out of the second exit. Many moved away from the
building instinctively, not sure of what was going on but not eager to
be in the middle of it.
Their concerns proved valid when the glass walls were smashed open
from the outside, a Steelix emerging from inside the building and
growling in triumph as it entered the open air. Two of the Cipher
minions followed it out, the third lagging behind as his Magnezone
sent one burst of electricity out after another against his opponent.
They missed, half due to Lancelot’s use of Detect and the rest due
to the Lucario’s agility. Clear of the glass shards from the windows
and parked upon the small sculpture near the building’s main entrance,
he charged up an Aura Sphere and fired. His aim was perfect, and the
living electromagnet was hit hard by the orb of aura energy.
Unfortunately, the Steelix wasn’t just there for brute force. As
the bulky leader of the Cipher trio continued to flee, the massive
metal serpent and his trainer turned to regard the comparatively
smaller jackal. “Steelix, Screech!”
“Magnezone, Discharge!”
While the larger one managed to lower Lancelot’s defenses, a
massive burst of electricity went through the Lucario’s body. He cried
out in pain, falling to one knee as Nicholas emerged from the
building. “Oh no…this is bad.”
“Don’t know who you are, kid, but you obviously have a lot to learn
about battling. Steelix, finish him!”
The steel serpent roared, then charged forward to Slam down hard on
the Lucario. Just as he was close enough to smell the jackal, twin
clangs sounded against its head directly between his eyes. He backed
off as both Poké Balls opened, an Arcanine and a Blaziken taking form
before him.
Marching forward with glass shattering under every step, Alex
emerged from the building. “Coming here to destroy the thing which
aided your downfall in the past. Good idea, bad timing – you should’ve
done it before I got here. Rush, Shadow Wave! Surtur, Blaze Kick!”
The Shadowed Arcanine spat a multicolored ball of energy at both
opponents, the Blaziken charging and jumping into the air, his feet
enveloped in flame and striking hard upon the nearby Magnezone.
The Magnezone’s trainer, a young woman, watched in surprise as her
Pokémon fell in defeat. She looked up and asked, “Who the heck is this
girl?!”
“Whoever she is, she’s too late to stop us! Steelix, Earthquake!”
“Rush, Shadow Blitz! Surtur, Bakunetsu Fire Punch!”
Jets of flame burst from his wrists as Surtur pulled forward, his
right claw becoming surrounded by flame. As Rush slammed hard into the
massive Steel/Ground type, a stream of flame shot out from the
Blaziken’s hand, slamming hard into the Steelix’s head. Between the
Shadow Pokémon’s attacks and its own limited vulnerability to fire,
the massive Pokémon fell.
Both were recalled, Surtur hopping from the Magnezone as it
disappeared, and the two Cipher peons turned and fled.
“Hold it right where you-!”
“Alex!” Lancelot struggled to his feet with his aid as Nicholas
hobbled over. “There’s no point chasing after them. Whatever it is
they came here to do, they’ve done it. Right now, we need to heal up
and assess the damage.”
Alex turned to him, and huffed. “You’re right.” She then raised a
Poké Ball. “Rush, return.” The Arcanine recalled, the Shadow taint
faded slightly more, Alex turned to her oldest teammate. “Surtur?”
“<Uninjured, fortunately.>” He looked towards the building. “<What
caused the explosion?>”
-
“The purification chamber was overloaded!” Krane shook his head as
he and his aides surveyed the damage. Where the device once stood was
now a mound of crap, several burnt and charred pieces easily visible.
“That Magnezone must have overloaded the surge protectors with a
massive electrical discharge!”
“So, no more purification chamber?” Despite his lack of technical
knowledge, Nicholas was fully aware of how much of a bad thing this
was.
“For the time being, yes.” Rubbing his temple with uneasiness,
Krane turned to them. “The good news is that the blueprints and plans
were stored in my office with the software backups, and most of the
components are easily obtained at the average electronics supply
store. The bad news is that sorting through the wreckage and
rebuilding will take a while.”
“And by a while, you mean, what, a month? A year?”
“More like two weeks, maybe one depending on how quickly we can
gather the needed parts.”
Relief was clear on Alex’s face. “Is there anything else that could
be a target for Cipher?”
“The Relic Stone in Agate Village – I’ve sent word ahead.” A
thought coming to mind, the professor slipped a hand into his pocket
and pulled out Alex’s PokéNav. “Oh, here – the download finished just
as you rushed out.”
“Thanks.” Alex quickly activated the device and checked over the
map data, a small 2D display of Orre replacing Hoenn with the push of
a button. “Okay, Agate’s not too far from here – with luck, we can get
there before…”
“You can’t leave yet!” Startled looks coming from the duo, the
professor moved to a nearby corner of the wall and pulled on a small
latch. Part of the wall slid away, revealing a partial dresser’s dummy
with a strange device mounted upon it. “If Cipher is active again,
you’re going to need this.”
The device was in two parts, a metal shoulder pad and wrist-mounted
unit linked by a thick coiled wire with a black glove built into the
wrist unit.
Alex recognized the device after a couple seconds. “A snag machine?
The two Pokémon they fielded weren’t Shadow Pokémon – I’d have sensed
it if they were.”
“Nevertheless, this will let you take any Shadow Pokémon they have.
Also, you’ll need this.” He handed Alex the device and retrieved a
small ear clip from a compartment in the mannequin. “It’s an Aura
Reader. You may be able to tell if a Pokémon is tainted or not, but
the snag device only works if the reader acknowledges a Shadow
Pokémon.”
The young woman huffed. “Well, it makes sense as a feature, I
suppose.” She looked out of the smashed windows in the direction that
the Cipher minions fled. “However far along they are this time, they
aren’t going to get much further.”
TBC!
[NS - Not a lot of commentary on the last one. Hopefully, this one'll
have a little more attention.]