Setting:
•Main Branch, Viridian City Police Station,
Viridian City, Kanto•
•March 1st, After 2:30 pm•
•Amber (Wolfe Alias) POV•
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Against Protocol
As soon as we entered the police station once more, some guy flagged me down and told me I had a phone call. Darrius excused me as he and some other Ops agents brought in the two Team Rocket scumbags for interrogation. I followed the guy who flagged me down—someone I didn't recognize—to the main office of the building. The guy then handed me the landline phone. I was kind of surprised someone was already asking for me. I only got back to HQ that morning, after all.
"Hello?" I asked apprehensively.
"Wolfe! Oh, thank goodness it's you." The voice was familiar, all right. It was my first mission commander, a guy a little older than me who went by the codename of Dex. He and I had a rough start, but we ended up being really good friends, though it never could ever replace what I had with Silver.
"Dex! What are you doing? It's been ages!" His calling me startled me for certain.
"Shh. Keep it down. Wolfe, I'm not going to make it—" He shushed.
"—What do you mean? Don't talk like that, Dex," I cut in.
"I found some vital information, but I don't trust any other Op with it. Promise me you'll keep my secret." He said quietly.
"Dex, what are you talking about? What secret? I just made it back to HQ today..."
My head was spinning enough as it was. Hell, my face was still slightly bleeding from that incident with the thugs.
"Promise me! Please, Wolfe! No one—not even Darrius—can know. All of my partners on my mission are dead; they're after me. You're the only one I can trust." His voice was near frantic, and I realized he was serious, so I sat up straighter.
"Alright, alright. I promise. Don't talk like that, Dex. Where are you? I'll save you!" I decided in a hurry.
He gave a low chuckle. "So selfless, Wolfe. This mission comes first." He paused before whispering where I could barely hear. "Wolfe, they're more involved than we think."
"What do you mean?!" I whispered back instinctively.
"They've infiltrated the police. I don't know who the mole is, but someone important is ratting out our missions. I think there's a foul Kanto Op." His tone was grave, and I felt a weight in my stomach.
"What?! You can't be serious. Darrius personally screens us to make certain where our loyalties lie. If any of us were to turn traitor, he or she would be executed as a war criminal. There's no way someone in the Ops can be working for Team Rocket," I kept my voice low so no one would pay attention to me. Dex's news was beyond shocking.
"Wolfe, that's why Darrius must not know. He might think we are starting a conspiracy. Please, I'm counting on you to keep your guard up. Look out for suspicious characters within the Ops, hear me? Find who's turning this into a personal attack on the Ops, understood?" He begged.
"Yes sir," I replied dutifully. Though we were the same rank, I respected Dex greatly. "Dex, where are you?"
"Wolfe, don't even think of trying to save me." He warned quietly.
"I never said I was. I could call in for backup." I offered even though my mind was already made up.
"Fine. Saffron City. It's an abandoned warehouse off North Central that we believed to belong to Team Rocket. We were right. My three operatives were taken out. I'm hiding; they're looking for me. Look, the closest deployment of Ops is in Vermillion." He whispered.
"Don't worry about it. Hang in there, Dex. Wolfe out." I hung up the phone with a trembling hand.
It's reckless; it might blow my cover, but damn it, Dex is in danger. Darrius won't have anyone help him. We are expendable. But an Op working for Team Rocket? Can that really be possible?!
I strolled casually out of the main office and back to my quarters. I could feel that my face was still bleeding a little in some spots, and I felt pretty banged up, but I grabbed Repede's pokeball from my headboard, anyway. When it was between saving my career and saving someone's life, I'd choose someone's life every time. I didn't take any of my new trainer items with me; Repede was more than suitable.
I walked outside undetected. I assumed that Silver was back in his cell, and Darrius was probably interrogating the people I captured personally. With a sly smirk, I called Repede from his ball. I fed him a huge helping of food earlier that morning as thanks for his hard work in traveling so much. I hated to make him travel more, but it was necessary. He didn't even knock me over to lick my face; he could tell we were about to have some serious business.
I jumped on within a minute of him appearing. "Repede, we need to get to Saffron, stat! Extremespeed all the way, understood?"
The large dog barked in return before he leapt into action. I saw someone out of the corner of my eye running after me; it was Silver. I ignored him, even though I did wonder what he was doing out of his cell.
Repede knew how to reach speeds of 80 MPH while using the move, Extremespeed. Usually if he had been on the road for days, it wore him out quickly, and I hated to push my guy, but I didn't want to get there too late. Viridian City was a sizable distance away from Saffron. We'd have to travel through the Viridian Forest, through Pewter City, east through Mt. Moon and Cerulean City, then directly south to Saffron. It would be a long journey—especially since I wanted to get there pronto.
Going through the Viridian Forest was actually easier than I thought; a few bug catchers yelled at me as I zoomed passed, but I ignored them. Luckily for both Repede and myself, Pewter City wasn't too large, and we easily hit the main road that led out of it and towards Mt. Moon. By the time we got to Mt. Moon, I could tell Repede was getting very worn out.
Before I killed my big, furry, adorable ride, I commanded him to stop and take a break. There was a stream I remembered around the mountain, so I had Repede stop there to drink and rest a few minutes. I knew I was killing precious time as well, but it wasn't like I could do anything about it.
Dex, hang in there. Please just stay safe for a little while longer.
Before I remounted Repede, I heard galloping in the distance. That in itself scared me.
I'm being followed?!
I jumped onto Repede and ordered an Extremespeed getaway. Repede, who was still worn out—and I had to give him a break, I mean, the dog had been traveling practically nonstop for a few days—couldn't reach high enough speeds. And even more unfortunately, I caught a glimpse of a Rapidash out of the corner of my eye. This one wasn't my Gallop; the Rapidash pursuing us looked pretty young and spry, so naturally, even if Repede did go Extremespeed, we'd still be caught if the rider dared to go top-speed.
"Damn it! This isn't good. Repede, I know you're tired, boy. I'm pushing you too hard, but I believe in you, buddy. We need to get rid of that Rapidash. The only way we can do that is by battling it. Turn around and face it!" I had leaned into the dog's giant ear in order to talk to him, seeming how we still were going about 50 MPH.
Repede listened well, and practically on a dime, he spun around and faced the direction from which our pursuer was approaching. I held on tightly so I wouldn't get flung from my ride.
The Rapidash pursuing us came to an abrupt halt and stood up on its hind legs, which almost bucked the rider off.
"Look, I don't have time for you. I don't give a damn what your intentions are, but I'm not going back to the station! Try to stop me, and Repede here will make you wish you hadn't!" I challenged.
Repede growled a deep-throated, menacing growl in reply; the hair on his back was raised. I couldn't tell who the person pursuing us was, but the fact that it was a Rapidash with a saddle with the Viridian Coat of Arms on it meant it was someone from the station.
"I'm under direct orders to bring you back, whether you like it or not, teacher." The voice threw the last word at me as a personal attack.
"Silver! Damn it! Why you of all people?! Can't you leave me alone for one damn afternoon?! Stay out of my way or face the consequences. I'm returning later on. I have someone I need to protect! There's no way I'll let my friend die! So just tell Darrius that he can do whatever the hell he wants with me when I return with Dex alive, hear me?!" I was pissed that Darrius trusted Silver enough to bring me back.
And I knew Darrius probably wouldn't act as though he gave a damn if Dex died or not. Darrius told us that death was part of our contract; if we didn't survive, it was simply part of the job. It was every man for himself. We were the military, and we were at war.
"I have my own goals, thank you. I'd rather be on Darrius' good side than on yours. You're coming back with me!" He certainly seemed brazen.
"Fine. I wish I didn't have to do it this way, but that's okay. Repede, use your Extremespeed!" I hated to hurt the station's Rapidash, but Silver was leaving me with no choice.
Repede sprang into action and immediately went after the Rapidash.
"I don't think so! Megahorn!" Silver countered.
The Rapidash lowered its head as it began charging straight for us.
Is he suicidal?!
"Repede! Jump when I give the command!"
Both Pokémon raced faster and faster towards each other.
"Okay, now!" I called.
The Rapidash was almost on us, but Repede gained just enough altitude to clear the horse Pokémon, which continued cantering straight forward. I then had Repede turn back into the Rapidash's direction. Silver had stopped his Rapidash, and we were facing each other.
Rapidash snorted and pawed at the ground while Repede growled in return. "Silver, give it up. Repede is a much higher level than that Rapidash. He wasn't the previous Indigo League Champion's Pokémon for nothing."
"It's because of that that I'm not going to let you go!" He replied sternly. "You battling Amber's Pokémon like that is an insult to both Repede and Amber! I'm not going to let you take her place, even if you think you're slick enough to do just that!" I could hear the hatred in his voice.
Wait! He thinks I'm taking my own place? What does that mean? Does he really think that I, Wolfe, am trying to become my late self's replacement? Oh, Silver, can't you just give it a rest?
I ended up chuckling and shaking my head, which turned into a true, cynical laugh. I then glared at Silver. "Silver, I don't know what you think of me, nor do I care, but let me straighten up this one thing right now. I am not Amber. I don't want to be Amber. I don't even want to take her place! My name is Wolfe. I have a job to do, and I will stick to it! But more importantly, I believe in keeping my friends safe! My friend could be dead right now. I've lost enough of them as it is; I'm not going to lose another friend to Team Rocket. That's my reason for being a Kanto Op; that's my driving force!"
"Repede understands that; he wants his life to be back to normal as well. Neither of us will let you stand in our way! Now, move over. I have to get to Saffron City," I replied menacingly.
I couldn't tell what was going on in Silver's mind from his facial expression, which seemed neutral, but I did suspect that if he did have that keen of an interest in me, I just gave him plenty more "background" info. True, I may not have spoken the complete truth, but if I thought cryptically about it, none of it was a lie.
I wasn't Amber any more. Amber was a naïve girl who knew a lot of bad things but didn't let them get to her. I couldn't be the same ever again even if I wanted to. I was Wolfe: a girl who saw firsthand the bloodshed of the underground war with Team Rocket.
I did believe in keeping my friends safe. I wanted so badly to keep Silver safe that I became a Kanto Op. I lost at least five friends within the Ops alone from Team Rocket. Repede was obedient, but he didn't like the life as a police dog any more than I liked doing a job where one wrong move could kill the people I swore to protect.
Silver's facial expression changed to a smirk as he had the Rapidash canter up alongside Repede. Repede was a little taller than the Rapidash, so I sat a little higher than Silver. He then stared directly into my face; I glared back into his.
"Hmph. Whatever. If you want to go on a suicide mission, so be it. I'm not heading back to the station without you, though." He snorted.
"So, what? You're going to drag me back?" I taunted, though it was nothing like the play taunts I used to say to him. Those days were long gone.
"No. I'm going with you." He smirked again.
That right there shocked me. I didn't know why Silver wanted to accompany me, but since I was well aware of the precious time I was wasting, I had no other option.
"Fine. Whatever suits you. I take it you'll use the opportunity to run away, am I correct?" I asked seriously.
"Actually, you're wrong. I have no intentions of running away. Darrius offered me a deal, which I accepted. I have nothing more to say on the matter. Get on my Rapidash. Repede won't be able to run as fast. He's too tired." Silver said as he slid forward in the saddle.
I smirked. "I thought you didn't care about Pokémon."
He didn't say a word, so I continued. "Fine. I'm driving. Move back."
"Why should I take orders from you?" He growled.
"Because I'm still your teacher, and you're my student. Now, move back!" I glared.
"Whatever." He scooted back in the large saddle.
I quickly hopped from the dog to the horse, pulled out Repede's pokeball, and recalled him. "Thanks, big guy. Rest up. You are more than deserving."
I then took the reins of the police Rapidash. "You might want to hold on. The world is about to go by in a flash," I smirked to Silver who was behind me.
"Rapidash, Saffron City, full speed!" I commanded as I gripped the reins tightly.
The Pokémon neighed in reply as within ten steps, we were well on our way to what I guessed was 80 MPH. Rapidash might generally have topped my Repede in speed, but when it came to endurance, Arcanine as a species always had every other transport Pokémon beat.
"Full speed?! Are you insane?!" Silver yelled as he grabbed me very tightly around my sore ribs since he almost flew backwards.
"I told you to hold on, didn't I?" I yelled back.
Man, he's hurting my ribs!
We rode in silence as landscape flashed by. I dared not even look at the blurring colors of trees and roads; it would have made me sick on the spot. Really, I wasn't feeling too well as it was.
If my plastic surgeon knew what I did to my face, she'd kill me, herself.
I contented myself to resting my head within the cool flames of the horse's mane as I hugged its neck. True, that was how I rode Gallop, and it definitely was not how someone should ride in a saddle, and on top of that, Silver was right in back of me, but I didn't care. With time, Silver's grip loosened slightly, which allowed me to breathe a little easier since it wasn't quite as painful.
By the time the sun was setting, we had reached Saffron. "Slow!" I called to the Rapidash, who began to decelerate around North Central Street. "It's an abandoned warehouse…" I trailed off.
Suddenly, I remembered just the spot. It was one I heard about on a briefing a few months back. It was a few blocks from the Silph building. Red had let free some hostages from the warehouse back then when Giovanni stormed Silph a few years ago.
From memory, I had Rapidash go to the warehouse. I then hopped down after removing Silver's hands from my sides. "Stay on Rapidash. If you hear gunfire, run. Understood?"
"I'm not coming down with you?" He seemed pretty disappointed at that.
"No. You're not trained for this." I shook my head.
"Whatever." He grumbled.
I entered the dark warehouse alone. The entrance—two double industrial strength steel doors—were both slightly open. At that moment, I wished I had my own handgun for protection. I barely could make out a thing, but my eyes adjusted quickly to the poor lighting. It smelled pretty bad; I knew the scent well. It was decaying flesh in a sweltering building. It felt like there was a heater on in there or poor ventilation.
Three dead operatives… I remembered Dex's words as I stealthily entered. There were pallets and boxes everywhere inside, making it a veritable maze.
My foot accidentally kicked something solid, and I heard a groan. "Wolfe, is that you?"
"Dex!" I rushed to the floor to my fallen comrade. I couldn't tell his condition, but from the weakness in his voice, it was bad. He was barely lodged behind a pallet near the entrance.
"I told you not to come… You're too stubborn." He groaned quietly.
"Shut up, Dex. I'm getting you out of here." I whispered frantically as I felt around in the dark. He felt wet and sticky, and he groaned in pain as I assessed his condition. He was bleeding, but I couldn't see from where or how badly or what kind of wound I was dealing with. I needed to get him out of there and triage him as soon as we were clear.
Although I was a girl, I was pretty strong. Dex was a pretty small guy, which helped. I hefted him over my shoulder and began to make my way to the exit. His shirt was sticky and smelled of iron.
"What's this? A little mouse scurrying, do I hear?" An unfamiliar voice spoke from somewhere in the darkness as if we were being watched.
"Shit!" I hissed without even thinking. I quickened my pace. I was only a few feet away from the entrance.
"I've been expecting you, little mouse. Your friend made great bait. That's why I shot him in something not so vital; let him bleed out a little so he didn't die as fast. I've already partially stemmed the bleeding," the guy seemed to taunt me.
So Dex has been shot. I need to hurry.
"I don't have time for you, Team Rocket scum," my voice sounded menacing and unfamiliar even to myself. I guessed maybe it was my own burning hatred inside of me that had manifested itself.
"Scum?!" The guy gave a hoarse laugh in the near-darkness. "You're funny, little mouse. Now, die!"
A gunshot resounded in my ears, and for a second, my heart froze over. No amount of combat training had prepared me for that moment, despite all the simulations. Even if I had been shot at before, I was never basically solo on a mission facing it, and I couldn't see my enemy.
"Wolfe! No!" I heard Dex scream as he tried to wriggle in my grasp even as my ears were ringing.
I turned my back to the voice to run, since I was somewhat facing it at first. I heard another shot ring out, and like that, I suddenly felt out of breath, as if someone knocked the wind straight out of me. I felt my knees buckle underneath, and the warehouse was getting a bit darker.
What just happened?!
I didn't comprehend it at all. Suddenly, a sharp pain in my right side awoke every sense in my body; apparently, my ribs were screaming from the way my body was collapsing. The fact that I had Dex draped around my right shoulder didn't help the pain, either.
"Wolfe! Pull yourself together! Come on!" Dex encouraged. His voice was pretty faint, but he was still with me.
Suddenly, a loud thumping noise brought my attention to the double doors as both swung wide open, nearly hitting me and Dex.
"Team Rocket! Die! Rapidash, Flamethrower! Burn him like they burned Amber!"
I had never really thought of Silver being some kind of knight in shining armor on a gallant white horse who'd rescue me, but seeing him on that Rapidash at that moment felt pretty damn good. He brought the horse to me, jumped off, hoisted Dex onto the saddle, then helped me on as he got back on as well.
The Rapidash, meanwhile, had set the inside of the warehouse ablaze with a brilliant white-hot fire. I was actually impressed, which was something since I knew a thing or two about fire types. The boxes and pallets inside were turning into an inferno in a hurry.
"Don't worry about the Team Rocket guy! Let's get out of here. Dex is shot. We need to save him," I said as Silver took the reins, the adrenaline keeping me going.
I was keeping Dex steady behind Silver. The front and back of Dex's shirt were soaked in his blood.
"Hold on. I'm getting us out of here," Silver replied seriously as he turned the horse around for a swift retreat.
I complied by holding on to Silver while sandwiching Dex in the middle. Dex groaned, but I said soothing words to him and reassured him we'd get back to the station as soon as possible while I put pressure on his wounds as best I could. I honestly wasn't even processing or thinking about whatever happened to me in the moment.
"Silver, run Rapidash into the ground if you have to. Dex needs medical attention," I said a little too weakly for my own taste. I was feeling very lightheaded, myself, and wanted to pass out.
"He's not the only one." Silver commented neutrally as he led us away.
Damn it, Darrius is going to lock me away for this. Or he'll send me back to basic training.
I rested my head against Dex's back as to stop the world from spinning so fast. It helped a little. I didn't know how I didn't black out from all the pain I was in. My ribs were on fire, or at least they felt like they were.
By the time the Rapidash made it to Mt. Moon and began to climb, I was feeling numb. I held my grip, since I knew Dex's life depended on it, but my own grip on consciousness was fading. By the time we made it to Pewter City, I was fighting to keep my eyes open. By the time we were in the Viridian Forest, I kept hearing strange noises that didn't make sense, and then the world got really quiet. By the time the Rapidash stopped, I couldn't open my eyes nor move.
I felt someone take me off the Rapidash and carry me. The person was running. By the time whoever it was stopped and placed me on a surface, I was questioning whether I was dead or alive. The last thing I recalled before everything went blank was a sudden, sharp pain in my ribs on my right side.