Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Let's Slaughter An Anime/Game/Whatever Beyond All Recognition! Yay! ❯ Chapter 4

"I don't know if she did it or not, Astra," Cord sighed that evening, gazing over at the unconscious Vaporeon curled against the metal of a ceiling pane. Astraphobia stood behind him, silhouetted against the true starlight that glistened down from the view port. After he'd found the stumbling, dazed Nai'ia staggering through the half-ruined halls spidering out from the bridge. She'd collapsed moments after, and he'd spirited her away to Astraphobia's stargazing spot: a small, hidden alcove between two huge support beams with a great view of the stars and portions of the ship. "She was there and there was lots of water everywhere…it doesn't make her guilty, and I'm not saying she's innocent. There were dozens of Water types on the bridge at the time, it could have been any of them."

"I still say it's a dangerous game you're playing, Cord." Astrologica warned him, pulling her reacquired coat about her shoulders. An unusually subdued Radish had returned it to her, then mumbled something about staying with some boy for a while. It wasn't as though Radish had parents to tell her no, having come here alone. Astra didn't feel it her place to ask further, though she found it odd. She shook her head, returning to the matter at hand. "If she was, in fact, the one responsible, she's going to be wanted for the murder of over three hundred technicians, officers, and specialists. If you're harboring her, you'll take the fall for that…or worse, be labeled an accomplice."

"Call me crazy but I don't really think it was her fault, even if she did do it," Cord replied, running a hand over snowy locks before turning his gaze to the drifting stars. "There's something wrong with her. I don't know what. I know she understands speech and is able to use her voice, I've heard her make sounds when playing with Matrix, but she never does talk. And she runs away from everyone, including me…I'm pretty sure she doesn't have a home…which is really weird when we live in a place that assigns living cubicles along with your ticket. Please, Astra, she needs someone to look after her and…I'd like it to be me. Just give her sanctuary here until she's strong enough to leave and I won't bother you about it again, I promise. And maybe…well…you're psychic. Maybe you can find out what's wrong with her. Read her mind or…whatever it is you psychic types do. Please, I'd be grateful to you for the rest of my life if you would just help me out here…"

"Fine," Astra sighed, rubbing irritably at one horn, "I'll delve into your psychopathic girlfriend here…and I'll keep quiet for now, Cord, but you owe me one. Two, actually. Plus coffee."

"Thank you," he breathed, breaking into a winning grin. "Hey, I'm going to go get a blanket to cover her with, I'll be back in a few." And Cord swept away, heading off at a light jog. Astra watched him go, then crouched by the blue haired woman, head canting to one side, amethyst depths nearly flinty in their regard.

"Alright, you plastic coated crazy," she murmured to no one in particular, laying two round fingertips to the cool surface of the unconscious Vaporeon's forehead. "Let's see what you're up to." Dark lashes floated down to dusk colored cheeks as she closed her eyes.

Chaos. She would find herself diving through shattered, disjointed images and impressions, threads of thought that ended nowhere or looped in on themselves in endless repetition. This one was insane alright. She delved further, trying to push past that outer shell of madness and to the true psyche beneath. It became increasingly difficult to concentrate on her purpose, howling daemons and jagged blades of a broken mind clawing senselessly at the intruder, slowing her progress. Astra fought them away, shuddering, trying to move beyond them. Se needed something far more recent than this. she wanted to know what had happened earlier that very day. There, there it was. It was….

Blocked. There was something stopping Astraphobia. Something dark and alien to this psyche. Something Nai'ia couldn't possibly have done herself. Then all in one moment she found herself being drawn into it…it wanted to kill her, this threat that had intruded into its sweet puppet's mind. Fragments stabbed viciously into her…sordid memories and lingering, intense streaks of hatred that threatened to pierce Astra's own mind. Monsters…monsters that had, at least for Nai'ia, been very real, and had performed true horrors upon her. Screams. Malicious ravaging of innocence. Screams of agony, screams of fear, screams of the madness alone. Laughter, a sadist's dream come true. A flash of light, a spray of blood, a chilling smile that would never be forgotten. Mocking existence, mocking life, the twist of form and psyche into something it was never meant to be. The daemons reached for her. Their claws closed about her.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she shrieked, lunging away, face twisting into a snarling grimace of frightened hostility. Tatters of Nai'ia's psyche still hung before her vision, distorting reality for a moment.

"I…I'm sorry, Astra, you were screaming, I thought…" Cord left it hanging, then blinked. "You're crying…" and he stepped forward, reaching out with one hand.

Nai'ia's lingering emotions boiled up inside Astraphobia. Hate, HATE! Don't let it touch you, it will hurt you, they always hurt, the hand hurts, it always does! Her coat and that deep violet hair would float and flare, hands clenching as she dropped into a crouch. Cord backpedaled swiftly as he felt the air charge with an impending psychic attack.

"Astra!!"

It stopped. Reality focused the way it should once more, and the Mewtwo sank to the ground, putting her head between her knees and breathing in practiced sets. Only after a few minutes of this did she speak, not moving.

"I…I'm sorry Astra," Cord whispered, kneeling, "I didn't know you'd come out of it like that."

"Neither did I," she growled, angry at having nearly been trapped by her opponent. "But I did learn some things. She's crazy alright, but there's something else. There's a psychic block in her mind, one Nai'ia didn't put there herself. Another psychic did. It's keeping me away from vital information, including the memory of what happened this morning. I'm wagering your pet project here is being used. Possibly outright controlled."

"Mind control," Cord blinked, pulling the blanket over the motionless woman. "Can't you break it or block it out or something?"

"Not unless I know who's doing it and even then, it's tricky," she sighed. "I'm not really trained for doing battle with psychics who are apparently used to this sort of thing. Whoever did this is damn good. I'm not really trained for this level of mental dueling." She smirked, raising her head weakly. "Something tells me I would do well to start learning."

"So Nai'ia is innocent?"

"More than likely. I sense power in her that isn't natural. From what I can gather of her memories she's been a living experiment. She came here trying to get away from them, which shows enough willingness to change that I won't turn the both of you in…just yet." She said that last part with a little smirk. Cord rubbed the back of his head nervously. He could never tell when Astra was trying to be funny or not.

"And the reason why she can't talk?"

"Now that," she got to her feet, straightening her trench and walking past him. She needed coffee. Lots of it."Is truly none of your business, Cord."

----

Taser had not slept for three days. It showed in the dullness of his eyes, in the droop of his wings, in the slump of his shoulders. He glared sourly at those assembled around the brushed aluminum table. All those pairs of eyes, looking at him so expectantly. Not as many as there should have been, however. While some of the support team hadn't been caught in the attack for some reason or another, they were still desperately shorthanded. Those remaining were counting on him. The last thing he'd wanted was this sort of responsibility, but there was one fact he couldn't escape.

He was the one and only person aboard this entire station who had any idea how to run it.

Thus Taser, at the tender age of sixteen, found himself a Captain. There was a slew of crisis to face, the heavy damage done to the bridge itself being only the beginning. He watched as a messy haired Tangela stood to address him. Tangelas never have a good hair day.

"Communications are out, and the navigational controls have basically been fried into a sodden lump of melted metal. The engines themselves are alright, of course, but there's no way to operate them without some serious rewiring, which could take weeks even if we DID have the proper materials, which we don't. We're basically free floating. We could end up anywhere."

Taser didn't say anything. He stared broodingly off into space. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to be responsible for the lives of so many people.

"Captain? Captain, what should we do?"

Something caught his eye and he looked up, blinking those weary eyes. Beyond the table was a plate glass window, and peering through it, meeting his eyes, was Radish. She'd stayed by his side for these past few days, letting him weep and rage as he needed, being there when he needed contact or someone to talk to. For someone so damn flighty, she could be so solid when she needed to be. She nodded her head at him, motioning her hand towards the speaker and smiling gently, crimson eyes soft. Go on. Answer him.

"We'll figure something out," he replied finally, bringing his eyes back to where they belonged. "I don't suppose we can cannibalize compatible parts from less essential areas of the ship?"

"We'll look into it, Captain," the man nodded, sitting back down. A curvaceous little Vulpix stood to replace him, shuffling her papers nervously.

"There is, of course, the issue of all the vacant crew positions," she began, "the ship isn't moving now but when it is, at minimum, we need a hundred and fifty people to keep it running smoothly…we're down to nineteen."

"I'll take care of filling those positions with those I personally choose," he replied, resting his chin on his hand as she nodded and sat back down. A golden skinned, magenta haired Abra took the floor then. Taser blinked. He knew her, vaguely. Some kind of scientist, but he knew little about her.

"The next supply ship isn't due for three months, and there are no incoming new immigrants slated for even longer. I don't think we can expect outside help, and the smaller ships we have in the dock were never meant to be taken for long distances. However," she continued, straightening her glasses, "The gravity generator, food gardens, air and water scrubbers, and main power are still online. I don't think anyone will be in any real danger as long as we pace things."

"Earlier night cycles then, and start rationing food."

"With all due respect, young Captain, I don't think everyone will like that," she smiled at him, berry glossed lips glistening under the harsh fluorescent lights. "Much of this ship is populated by the well to-do, and they won't take well to being told they can't have as much of whatever they like."

"Unless they want to starve later, they can learn to live with it," Taser growled. "Start spreading the word. I don't want to waste anymore of anything, time or resources, than we already have. Now Ladies, Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me…" he rose to his feet, folding his wings neatly behind him and heading for the door. The Abra rose as well, following him and catching him once he was outside the door.

"Captain! A moment, if I may?"

Taser sighed and paused, turning to meet the approaching woman.

"Yes, Doctor?"

"Please, I'm more of a scientist, really," she laughed, then peered at him. "My but don't you look terrible, Captain Taser!"

"Why thank you, I love a good complement," he replied sarcastically.

"Oh my no I didn't mean it detrimentally," she laughed, "But you do look like you could use some sleep, and you're very stressed. You know," she sighed then, tapping her chin with one carefully painted fingernail, "You don't have to have so much responsibility. You could merely be Captain as far as keeping the ship moving, and hand over the operations of all other things, all the tiresome decision making, over to someone else. It'd be so much easier on you that way, don't you think?"

Taser sagged slightly at her words, casting his gaze to the floor. It WOULD be so much easier if he didn't have to do all this. Delegation of responsibility sounded so reasonable. Sure, his father had been able to run the ship, train him, and have a night life…but he wasn't his father, and this was just…just too much…she was right…he-

"I think that with some rest and some practice he'll make a wonderful captain without having to shuffle anything," came a bright voice. The woman turned to regard the Rapidash with barely disguised disdain.

"Well I do think that-"

"OMIGOSH! LookitthetimeweweresupposedtomeetSerikeatthearcadelet'sgo!!" ::Radish bolted out, grabbing Taser's wrist and bounding down the hallway so fast that he began to leave a trail of feathers. The doctor was left in mid-protest. Then she simply straightened her coat and walked the opposite way down the hall.