Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Home Is Where the R Is ❯ Little Rocket ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Anna Sartin 
After betraying Team Rocket to its enemies, Butch and Cassidy were beaten and left to die in the dumpster of a back alley. Injured and pursued by the authorities the duo returned to Giovanni to beg for a second chance. Unable to kill them in front of his seven-year old niece, Giovanni arranges to have them quietly eliminated by sending them to Johto aboard an unsafe helicopter. He learns too late that the child has joined them on their flight, surviving one disaster only to be caught in the middle of a police raid...
Anime/Manga: Pokemon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 08.11.2012 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.7K | Visits: 449 | Status: Work In Progress
After betraying Team Rocket to its enemies, Butch and Cassidy were beaten and left to die in the dumpster of a back alley. Injured and pursued by the authorities the duo returned to Giovanni to beg for a second chance. Unable to kill them in front of his seven-year old niece, Giovanni arranges to have them quietly eliminated by sending them to Johto aboard an unsafe helicopter. He learns too late that the child has joined them on their flight, surviving one disaster only to be caught in the middle of a police raid...
Anime/Manga: Pokemon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 08.11.2012 | Pages: 4 | Words: 3.7K | Visits: 449 | Status: Work In Progress
After betraying Team Rocket to its enemies, Butch and Cassidy were beaten and left to die in the dumpster of a back alley. Injured and pursued by the authorities the duo returned to Giovanni to beg for a second chance. Unable to kill them in front of his seven-year old niece, Giovanni arranges to have them quietly eliminated by sending them to Johto aboard an unsafe helicopter. He learns too late that the child has joined them on their flight, surviving one disaster only to be caught in the middle of a police raid...
Home Is Where the R Is
Chapter Three - Little Rocket
.
Anari couldn't say how long she'd spent hiding in the air duct waiting for someone to come and get her. The sounds of the police raiding the building frightened her, especially whenever someone came close to her hiding place. She held her breath as they passed, too terrified to make a sound.
I wish Persian was here now... she thought, wishing she could bury her face in the great cat's fur. It would scare all of them away. I don't suppose it would fit in the tunnel, though.
She knew she was going to have to wait until the raid was over to be rescued, so she tried to calm herself and think of something unrelated to the fact that she was trapped in this dark, dusty place.
I wonder if Persian is a boy or a girl? Meowth might know. I wish I had a Pokémon... then I wouldn't be all alone. A charmander would be nice. It could light up this tunnel with its tail.
Suddenly she felt something touch her arm, and instantly regretted her wish. The only Pokémon she would find in a place like this would be wild ones, and she was in no position to escape if they turned out to be unfriendly. Slowly she opened the cell phone she was still holding to shine light on what was touching her. She found herself nose to nose with a Rattata. She shrieked so loud the sound hurt her ears as it echoed through the passage. The Rattata fled the way it came.
Get me out of here! Get me out get me out get me out...
Anari had always been fond of Pokémon and had never had reason to fear them before, but playing with them in the light of day was entirely different from encountering them alone in the dark where everything seemed twice as scary. When the sound of her cry had died down, Anari lay still, breathing heavily and trying not to panic as she waited to hear the sound of someone to coming to investigate the noise. To her relief, no one came. She tried to compose herself, as her brother had taught her before he...
No, don't think about that!
The image of Antonio's corpse in the coils of Arbok came to her unbidden.
Don't think, don't think, don't...
She began to cry silently. He had loved her, she was certain of it. He was a murder, a liar, a psychopath- but Anari knew that despite all of that he had loved her. Now he was gone, everyone was gone, and she was heaven knows where trapped alone in a dark air duct with Rattata and goodness only knew what else. She now sorely regretted fighting with her uncle.
Maybe there are ghost Pokémon here, she thought, shivering. Big Brother always said they like dark places...
The sound of Rattata scurrying nearby in another tunnel caused her to whimper.
Please get me out of here... Uncle Giovanni...
"Hey! Little Rocket!"
Anari opened her eyes.
"Little Rocket! You there?"
"I'm here!" Anari called out, relieved. She crawled back the way she'd come, where a gruff-looking man on the other side had already removed the vent. He held out his arms to her. The police uniform he was wearing had obviously been stolen from a man considerably smaller than he was and he didn't look very comfortable in such tight clothing. The short sleeves had ripped from trying to accommodate his muscular arms. Had Anari not known he was here to help her, she probably would have been afraid of him. Perhaps if she had been anyone other than his boss's niece he might have given her reason to.
"Thank you so much!" Anari exclaimed, after he'd helped her down. "It was dark in there!"
"I can imagine," her rescuer said, putting the vent back in place as Anari dusted herself off. "Let's get out of here."
"You bet!"
They wasted no time getting out of the place, and Anari was relieved to find a jeep parked not far off.
"We haven't been properly introduced yet," the man said, buckling his seatbelt. "I'm Tyson."
"I'm Anari- Anari Gambini," she replied, buckling her own seatbelt. "Thank you for rescuing me."
"You're welcome."
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"To Professor Namba's research base. Your uncle will pick you up from there."
Anari's face lit up. "He's coming to get me?"
"So I've been told," Tyson responded, pulling out a two-way radio. "This is Tyson. I've got the girl. We're now en route."
"Roger. I'll be waiting when you reach your destination," the voice at the other end said.
The ride in the jeep wasn't a very long one, and ended abruptly alongside a beach where a uniformed agent was waiting. Anari hopped out of the vehicle and looked around.
"I don't understand... Where's the base?"
"This way," Tyson directed, pointing to a piece of machinary the seven year-old had never seen before. "It's a submarine," he explained, noticing Anari's puzzled expression. "It will let us travel underwater."
"UNDER the water? Is it like a boat?"
"No, boats float on TOP of the water."
Anari followed the two men inside. "So it's a machine that swims."
"That's right. It's the only way to get to Namba's lab."
Both times Anari had boarded a helicopter she'd been unable to properly enjoy the ride. The first time, after the death of her brother, she'd been so stunned and heartsick she had paid very little attention to her surroundings; and her second flight had ended in such a terrifying way she wasn't sure she wanted to ever get on an aircraft again. With no such problems hindering her this time, her first ride on a submarine was quite enjoyable.
"This is incredible!" she exclaimed, as she watched a school of Magikarp through the window. One of them strayed from the group to observe Anari through the glass. "I'd love to build a house down here," she told the two men. "One made of glass so I could see all the water Pokémon."
"Until an angry Garados came along and smashed it," Tyson responded practically. He bent over and a ripping sound caused Anari and the other agent to look at him. He turned red.
"You ripped the seat of your pants," the agent observed from behind him.
"It's not MY fault they gave me clothes that don't fit!" Tyson barked.
Anari giggled, and returned to gazing out the window. It was like an aquatic wonderland. The large number of different water Pokémon they encountered fascinated her and she imagined herself out there swimming with them.
"Look at THAT!" she exclaimed suddenly, pointing to a metallic structure located on the ocean floor, where a curious Quilfish was swimming around it.
"That's the base," Tyson told her.
Fascinated, the child watched as the structure opened to receive them and closed behind them. She felt a twinge of sadness as the Quilfish disappeared from view.
.
The group walked down a long corridor before entering what looked like a control room. Several grunts stood at attention by the exits while two eccentric-looking men in lab coats were conversing in the center of the room. They both turned to look at the new arrivals.
"Ah, Tyson, you've returned," Professor Sebastian said, turning to face him.
"Yes, and I've got a complaint! The disguise you provided for me-"
"Appears to fit you very poorly," Sebastian finished calmly. "I'd suggest you go change out of it."
Tyson stalked off, huffing, followed by the agent who had accompanied them to base. Anari was left standing in front of the other scientist. He had large, bushy eyebrows and an even larger, bushier mustache.
"Who are you?" he asked in a demanding tone. It was Dr. Namba, Anari recognized his voice from their phone conversation.
"Um... I'm Anari. We talked on the phone."
"Oh. Right. Well, stay out of the way until someone comes to collect you."
"I thought my uncle-"
"WHERE'S MY FISH STICKS?" Namba suddenly shouted, causing Anari to jump. She realized a few seconds later that this last sentence was directed at a grunt who had just entered the room.
"Right here, sir," the man responded, holding up a plate.
"Good, I'm starving!" He seized a fish stick and turned back to resume his conversation with Sebastian, ignoring Anari and leaving the unfortunate grunt stuck holding the plate like a human table.
Anari was also hungry. She'd had nothing since breakfast that morning and the smell of food was making her tummy rumble. She waited to be offered something, but when the offer was not forthcoming she decided to take matters into her own hands. Namba reached for another fish stick, and as soon as his back was turned Anari also grabbed one and quickly retreated back to standing on his opposite side. The grunt moved to say something, but Professor Sebastian shook his head, smiling. The child repeated this process nine more times, until the plate was empty. Realizing that standing around with an empty dish was pointless, the grunt turned to leave.
"Just where do you think you're going?" Namba demanded.
"Back to work, Sir."
"WHERE'S MY FOOD?" he demanded. "I HAD WHOLE PLATE OF FISH STICKS!"
"You must have eaten them all," Sebastian responded calmly. He enjoyed watching his more animated colleague's emotional outbursts, perhaps because he himself never lost his composure. Visiting Namba always proved to be entertaining.
"But... I..." Namba looked at the nervous grunt holding the empty plate, then at Sebastian, then at Anari. Anari stared back at him with big, innocent brown eyes. It was at this point Tyson re-entered the room, now dressed in his usual uniform. Flustered, Namba shook his head before shouting, "SOMEBODY BRING ME MORE FOOD!"
All the grunts in the room, who's been struggling to conceal their snickering the entire time, volunteered at once.
"Well, see to it!" Namba yelled.
The men departed immediately, all but falling over themselves to get out of the room. As soon as they were a safe distance away, the entire group burst into laughter.
"And get HER out of here as well!" Namba ordered Tyson, pointing to Anari. "Take her somewhere to wait for the boss where she won't cause any trouble!"
"Yes, Sir."
Tyson turned and led Anari out of the room. Professor Sebastian winked at her as they departed.
.
"Who are those men?" Anari asked as they walked down the hall.
"Team Rocket scientists," Tyson responded. "Namba runs this base. Professor Sebastian is stationed elsewhere. My men and I were ordered to provide a security escort for him so the two could exchange information."
"Couldn't they have done that over the video phone?" the child asked logically.
"It's not my place to question orders," he answered, not wanting to admit to the seven year-old that he didn't know.
"Sebastian's the third scientist to visit in the past week," another agent told them as he joined their group. Anari recognized him as the same man who'd met them at the beach. "Namba's having trouble with some device he created."
...some device he created.
Anari stopped. "Did you hear something?"
Did you here something?
The men also stopped.
"It's coming from Namba's office," Tyson responded, equally baffled.
It's coming from Namba's office.
"One of you must have one of Namba's listening devices on you," the agent said. "Did he give either of you a cell phone?"
...either of you a cell phone?
"Oh!" Anari exclaimed, pulling the phone she'd been given out of her pocket."It must be this thing!"
It must be this thing!
"Well, get rid of it," Tyson told her. "It's annoying!"
Anari agreed wholeheartedly. She entered the office and left the phone on a table.
"So that's how he knew what was happening before I called him," Anari said, as they continued on their way.
"Namba often plants listening devices on those under his command," the other agent explained. "He claims it's for security purposes but personally I think the man's just nosy. He had one on me awhile ago. I didn't realize it until he called me in the middle of the grocery store and told me to pick him up some bananas while I was there."
"That's... kind of creepy," Anari said. Tyson agreed.
. . .
The lunchroom wasn't overly large, and was extremely crowded. Tyson ordered everyone out of the way and the group of grunts grudgingly cleared a path for their superior. Unlike the people working at Team Rocket Headquarters, no one here was aware of Anari's identity and they all wondered who she was and why a child her age was permitted to wander around one of Team Rocket's top secret research facilities. Anari, completely oblivious to the odd looks she was being given, marched right up to where the food was served.
"I want one of those, please!" she chirped, pointing to a giant picture of a fruit smoothie hanging on the wall. The cafeteria cook stared at her, confused.
"Do it," Tyson commanded. "She's here on the boss's orders."
"She'll have to wait," the cook told him. "Namba just ordered two dozen fish sticks and I have to deliver them personally."
"That's what the grunts are for," Tyson told him.
"Tell that to Namba," the cook replied. "He sent a whole group of people down here to order him more fish sticks, then calls and tells me not to let any of 'em take the food back to him. He claims the last man I sent down ate all his food." Anari turned bright red.
"Preposterous," Tyson scoffed. "He probably ate them all himself and forgot. The man's insane."
"Many geniuses are, or so I'm told," the cook replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me."
Anari took a seat and put her head on the table. She wondered how long she would have to wait for her uncle and if he would still be mad at her when he arrived. She hoped not. "Please come get me soon," she whispered, wishing he was sitting in the empty seat across from her. Please, Uncle Giovanni...
"I have other duties to attend to. Will you be all right here alone?" Tyson asked her. Anari nodded.
"I'll be okay."
"Good. I'll come and collect you when the boss arrives," he said, before shouting, "MAKE WAY!"
Anari watched as the crowd of people again parted to let him through, then began listening to the various people as they conversed with one another. She closed her eyes and let the many voices swirl around in her head.
...When I get reassigned I don't care if I ever see the ocean again! I'm so sick of looking at water I could...
...it was bigger than a house! I threw a Pokeball at it, but...
...I heard he actually REWARDED those imbeciles, and even gave them a paid vacation! Can you believe...
...was actually going to pit his water type against an electric type, but I told him...
...Butch and Cassidy? I just heard myself. The boss gave them a chance to redeem themselves but...
Anari opened her eyes and tried to focus on that specific conversation.
...They got arrested along with everyone else involved in the mission. Those two have the devil's luck. I bet Giovanni'll leave them to rot!
Anari's heart sank. Her brother had always been afraid of going to prison, and the child assumed that anything that had the power to make her brother afraid must be very frightening indeed. Some of Antonio's men had been incarcerated before and none of them desired to return. Someone once told her that "bad things" happened to people there, and some were even put to death. Her eyes began to water.
No!
Anari clutched her fists, imagining Butch and Cassidy being left to die in some jail somewhere after they'd saved her life.
No, no, no! I can't let that happen!
She thought of all her brother's former employees imprisoned at Team Rocket HQ and decided then and there that she couldn't allow them to be killed or "left to rot" either. She had to figure out how to help them all.
I've got to do something! But what?
. . .
By the time Tyson returned to retrieve Anari from the mess hall, Anari was sick of looking at the place. She'd been there two hours, and in that time she's had three smoothies, more fish sticks and a piece of chocolate cake. She also had a tummy ache.
I'm never eating that many fish sticks again! she vowed as she stood at Tyson's left side waiting for her uncle to disembark from the submarine that had brought him there. She wondered how Namba's stomach felt after consuming the two dozen fish sticks he'd ordered. He and Sebastian were standing on the other side of Tyson and behind them was a row of agents standing in formation.
"Uncle!" Anari called out excitedly when Giovanni emerged.
"Welcome aboard, Sir," Namba said, but Team Rocket's leader barely heard him. He only had eyes for the little girl who was now running towards him. Before he had taken three steps the child was in his arms, hugging him for all she was worth.
"I missed you!" she informed him, burying her face in his shoulder as he embraced her.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, oblivious to the tears running down his face. "I'm so sorry for losing my temper."
"It's okay," she told him, clutching him tightly. "Family forgives."
"Are you all right?" Giovanni asked. "Butch and Cassidy didn't hurt you?"
"No, they SAVED me, Uncle! First the helicopter broke and we had to jump out of it, then we had to walk a looooooong way and steal a blimp, then we got stuck in a building and Butch hid me in the wall to keep the police from finding me and someone gave me a phone to call for help. Then they all got caught. You'll help them, won't you? You won't leave them all in jail?"
Giovanni sighed, realizing that his plan to get rid of Butch and Cassidy had backfired. Not only had it failed miserably, but he was now indebted to them for saving his niece's life. The very least he could do was bail them out. "No, I won't leave them in jail," he told the child. "We'll get everyone out."
Anari sighed with relief. "I'm so glad... I can't wait to go back home."
Home.
She had just referred to Team Rocket Headquarters as home, and for the first time her mind and heart were both in agreement. She was going back where she belonged. She reached for her uncle's hand and grabbed it, squeezing it tightly. He squeezed back.
.
To be continued in Chapter 4: "Twelve Men and a Little Lady"
Home Is Where the R Is
Chapter Three - Little Rocket
.
Anari couldn't say how long she'd spent hiding in the air duct waiting for someone to come and get her. The sounds of the police raiding the building frightened her, especially whenever someone came close to her hiding place. She held her breath as they passed, too terrified to make a sound.
I wish Persian was here now... she thought, wishing she could bury her face in the great cat's fur. It would scare all of them away. I don't suppose it would fit in the tunnel, though.
She knew she was going to have to wait until the raid was over to be rescued, so she tried to calm herself and think of something unrelated to the fact that she was trapped in this dark, dusty place.
I wonder if Persian is a boy or a girl? Meowth might know. I wish I had a Pokémon... then I wouldn't be all alone. A charmander would be nice. It could light up this tunnel with its tail.
Suddenly she felt something touch her arm, and instantly regretted her wish. The only Pokémon she would find in a place like this would be wild ones, and she was in no position to escape if they turned out to be unfriendly. Slowly she opened the cell phone she was still holding to shine light on what was touching her. She found herself nose to nose with a Rattata. She shrieked so loud the sound hurt her ears as it echoed through the passage. The Rattata fled the way it came.
Get me out of here! Get me out get me out get me out...
Anari had always been fond of Pokémon and had never had reason to fear them before, but playing with them in the light of day was entirely different from encountering them alone in the dark where everything seemed twice as scary. When the sound of her cry had died down, Anari lay still, breathing heavily and trying not to panic as she waited to hear the sound of someone to coming to investigate the noise. To her relief, no one came. She tried to compose herself, as her brother had taught her before he...
No, don't think about that!
The image of Antonio's corpse in the coils of Arbok came to her unbidden.
Don't think, don't think, don't...
She began to cry silently. He had loved her, she was certain of it. He was a murder, a liar, a psychopath- but Anari knew that despite all of that he had loved her. Now he was gone, everyone was gone, and she was heaven knows where trapped alone in a dark air duct with Rattata and goodness only knew what else. She now sorely regretted fighting with her uncle.
Maybe there are ghost Pokémon here, she thought, shivering. Big Brother always said they like dark places...
The sound of Rattata scurrying nearby in another tunnel caused her to whimper.
Please get me out of here... Uncle Giovanni...
"Hey! Little Rocket!"
Anari opened her eyes.
"Little Rocket! You there?"
"I'm here!" Anari called out, relieved. She crawled back the way she'd come, where a gruff-looking man on the other side had already removed the vent. He held out his arms to her. The police uniform he was wearing had obviously been stolen from a man considerably smaller than he was and he didn't look very comfortable in such tight clothing. The short sleeves had ripped from trying to accommodate his muscular arms. Had Anari not known he was here to help her, she probably would have been afraid of him. Perhaps if she had been anyone other than his boss's niece he might have given her reason to.
"Thank you so much!" Anari exclaimed, after he'd helped her down. "It was dark in there!"
"I can imagine," her rescuer said, putting the vent back in place as Anari dusted herself off. "Let's get out of here."
"You bet!"
They wasted no time getting out of the place, and Anari was relieved to find a jeep parked not far off.
"We haven't been properly introduced yet," the man said, buckling his seatbelt. "I'm Tyson."
"I'm Anari- Anari Gambini," she replied, buckling her own seatbelt. "Thank you for rescuing me."
"You're welcome."
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"To Professor Namba's research base. Your uncle will pick you up from there."
Anari's face lit up. "He's coming to get me?"
"So I've been told," Tyson responded, pulling out a two-way radio. "This is Tyson. I've got the girl. We're now en route."
"Roger. I'll be waiting when you reach your destination," the voice at the other end said.
The ride in the jeep wasn't a very long one, and ended abruptly alongside a beach where a uniformed agent was waiting. Anari hopped out of the vehicle and looked around.
"I don't understand... Where's the base?"
"This way," Tyson directed, pointing to a piece of machinary the seven year-old had never seen before. "It's a submarine," he explained, noticing Anari's puzzled expression. "It will let us travel underwater."
"UNDER the water? Is it like a boat?"
"No, boats float on TOP of the water."
Anari followed the two men inside. "So it's a machine that swims."
"That's right. It's the only way to get to Namba's lab."
Both times Anari had boarded a helicopter she'd been unable to properly enjoy the ride. The first time, after the death of her brother, she'd been so stunned and heartsick she had paid very little attention to her surroundings; and her second flight had ended in such a terrifying way she wasn't sure she wanted to ever get on an aircraft again. With no such problems hindering her this time, her first ride on a submarine was quite enjoyable.
"This is incredible!" she exclaimed, as she watched a school of Magikarp through the window. One of them strayed from the group to observe Anari through the glass. "I'd love to build a house down here," she told the two men. "One made of glass so I could see all the water Pokémon."
"Until an angry Garados came along and smashed it," Tyson responded practically. He bent over and a ripping sound caused Anari and the other agent to look at him. He turned red.
"You ripped the seat of your pants," the agent observed from behind him.
"It's not MY fault they gave me clothes that don't fit!" Tyson barked.
Anari giggled, and returned to gazing out the window. It was like an aquatic wonderland. The large number of different water Pokémon they encountered fascinated her and she imagined herself out there swimming with them.
"Look at THAT!" she exclaimed suddenly, pointing to a metallic structure located on the ocean floor, where a curious Quilfish was swimming around it.
"That's the base," Tyson told her.
Fascinated, the child watched as the structure opened to receive them and closed behind them. She felt a twinge of sadness as the Quilfish disappeared from view.
.
The group walked down a long corridor before entering what looked like a control room. Several grunts stood at attention by the exits while two eccentric-looking men in lab coats were conversing in the center of the room. They both turned to look at the new arrivals.
"Ah, Tyson, you've returned," Professor Sebastian said, turning to face him.
"Yes, and I've got a complaint! The disguise you provided for me-"
"Appears to fit you very poorly," Sebastian finished calmly. "I'd suggest you go change out of it."
Tyson stalked off, huffing, followed by the agent who had accompanied them to base. Anari was left standing in front of the other scientist. He had large, bushy eyebrows and an even larger, bushier mustache.
"Who are you?" he asked in a demanding tone. It was Dr. Namba, Anari recognized his voice from their phone conversation.
"Um... I'm Anari. We talked on the phone."
"Oh. Right. Well, stay out of the way until someone comes to collect you."
"I thought my uncle-"
"WHERE'S MY FISH STICKS?" Namba suddenly shouted, causing Anari to jump. She realized a few seconds later that this last sentence was directed at a grunt who had just entered the room.
"Right here, sir," the man responded, holding up a plate.
"Good, I'm starving!" He seized a fish stick and turned back to resume his conversation with Sebastian, ignoring Anari and leaving the unfortunate grunt stuck holding the plate like a human table.
Anari was also hungry. She'd had nothing since breakfast that morning and the smell of food was making her tummy rumble. She waited to be offered something, but when the offer was not forthcoming she decided to take matters into her own hands. Namba reached for another fish stick, and as soon as his back was turned Anari also grabbed one and quickly retreated back to standing on his opposite side. The grunt moved to say something, but Professor Sebastian shook his head, smiling. The child repeated this process nine more times, until the plate was empty. Realizing that standing around with an empty dish was pointless, the grunt turned to leave.
"Just where do you think you're going?" Namba demanded.
"Back to work, Sir."
"WHERE'S MY FOOD?" he demanded. "I HAD WHOLE PLATE OF FISH STICKS!"
"You must have eaten them all," Sebastian responded calmly. He enjoyed watching his more animated colleague's emotional outbursts, perhaps because he himself never lost his composure. Visiting Namba always proved to be entertaining.
"But... I..." Namba looked at the nervous grunt holding the empty plate, then at Sebastian, then at Anari. Anari stared back at him with big, innocent brown eyes. It was at this point Tyson re-entered the room, now dressed in his usual uniform. Flustered, Namba shook his head before shouting, "SOMEBODY BRING ME MORE FOOD!"
All the grunts in the room, who's been struggling to conceal their snickering the entire time, volunteered at once.
"Well, see to it!" Namba yelled.
The men departed immediately, all but falling over themselves to get out of the room. As soon as they were a safe distance away, the entire group burst into laughter.
"And get HER out of here as well!" Namba ordered Tyson, pointing to Anari. "Take her somewhere to wait for the boss where she won't cause any trouble!"
"Yes, Sir."
Tyson turned and led Anari out of the room. Professor Sebastian winked at her as they departed.
.
"Who are those men?" Anari asked as they walked down the hall.
"Team Rocket scientists," Tyson responded. "Namba runs this base. Professor Sebastian is stationed elsewhere. My men and I were ordered to provide a security escort for him so the two could exchange information."
"Couldn't they have done that over the video phone?" the child asked logically.
"It's not my place to question orders," he answered, not wanting to admit to the seven year-old that he didn't know.
"Sebastian's the third scientist to visit in the past week," another agent told them as he joined their group. Anari recognized him as the same man who'd met them at the beach. "Namba's having trouble with some device he created."
...some device he created.
Anari stopped. "Did you hear something?"
Did you here something?
The men also stopped.
"It's coming from Namba's office," Tyson responded, equally baffled.
It's coming from Namba's office.
"One of you must have one of Namba's listening devices on you," the agent said. "Did he give either of you a cell phone?"
...either of you a cell phone?
"Oh!" Anari exclaimed, pulling the phone she'd been given out of her pocket."It must be this thing!"
It must be this thing!
"Well, get rid of it," Tyson told her. "It's annoying!"
Anari agreed wholeheartedly. She entered the office and left the phone on a table.
"So that's how he knew what was happening before I called him," Anari said, as they continued on their way.
"Namba often plants listening devices on those under his command," the other agent explained. "He claims it's for security purposes but personally I think the man's just nosy. He had one on me awhile ago. I didn't realize it until he called me in the middle of the grocery store and told me to pick him up some bananas while I was there."
"That's... kind of creepy," Anari said. Tyson agreed.
. . .
The lunchroom wasn't overly large, and was extremely crowded. Tyson ordered everyone out of the way and the group of grunts grudgingly cleared a path for their superior. Unlike the people working at Team Rocket Headquarters, no one here was aware of Anari's identity and they all wondered who she was and why a child her age was permitted to wander around one of Team Rocket's top secret research facilities. Anari, completely oblivious to the odd looks she was being given, marched right up to where the food was served.
"I want one of those, please!" she chirped, pointing to a giant picture of a fruit smoothie hanging on the wall. The cafeteria cook stared at her, confused.
"Do it," Tyson commanded. "She's here on the boss's orders."
"She'll have to wait," the cook told him. "Namba just ordered two dozen fish sticks and I have to deliver them personally."
"That's what the grunts are for," Tyson told him.
"Tell that to Namba," the cook replied. "He sent a whole group of people down here to order him more fish sticks, then calls and tells me not to let any of 'em take the food back to him. He claims the last man I sent down ate all his food." Anari turned bright red.
"Preposterous," Tyson scoffed. "He probably ate them all himself and forgot. The man's insane."
"Many geniuses are, or so I'm told," the cook replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me."
Anari took a seat and put her head on the table. She wondered how long she would have to wait for her uncle and if he would still be mad at her when he arrived. She hoped not. "Please come get me soon," she whispered, wishing he was sitting in the empty seat across from her. Please, Uncle Giovanni...
"I have other duties to attend to. Will you be all right here alone?" Tyson asked her. Anari nodded.
"I'll be okay."
"Good. I'll come and collect you when the boss arrives," he said, before shouting, "MAKE WAY!"
Anari watched as the crowd of people again parted to let him through, then began listening to the various people as they conversed with one another. She closed her eyes and let the many voices swirl around in her head.
...When I get reassigned I don't care if I ever see the ocean again! I'm so sick of looking at water I could...
...it was bigger than a house! I threw a Pokeball at it, but...
...I heard he actually REWARDED those imbeciles, and even gave them a paid vacation! Can you believe...
...was actually going to pit his water type against an electric type, but I told him...
...Butch and Cassidy? I just heard myself. The boss gave them a chance to redeem themselves but...
Anari opened her eyes and tried to focus on that specific conversation.
...They got arrested along with everyone else involved in the mission. Those two have the devil's luck. I bet Giovanni'll leave them to rot!
Anari's heart sank. Her brother had always been afraid of going to prison, and the child assumed that anything that had the power to make her brother afraid must be very frightening indeed. Some of Antonio's men had been incarcerated before and none of them desired to return. Someone once told her that "bad things" happened to people there, and some were even put to death. Her eyes began to water.
No!
Anari clutched her fists, imagining Butch and Cassidy being left to die in some jail somewhere after they'd saved her life.
No, no, no! I can't let that happen!
She thought of all her brother's former employees imprisoned at Team Rocket HQ and decided then and there that she couldn't allow them to be killed or "left to rot" either. She had to figure out how to help them all.
I've got to do something! But what?
. . .
By the time Tyson returned to retrieve Anari from the mess hall, Anari was sick of looking at the place. She'd been there two hours, and in that time she's had three smoothies, more fish sticks and a piece of chocolate cake. She also had a tummy ache.
I'm never eating that many fish sticks again! she vowed as she stood at Tyson's left side waiting for her uncle to disembark from the submarine that had brought him there. She wondered how Namba's stomach felt after consuming the two dozen fish sticks he'd ordered. He and Sebastian were standing on the other side of Tyson and behind them was a row of agents standing in formation.
"Uncle!" Anari called out excitedly when Giovanni emerged.
"Welcome aboard, Sir," Namba said, but Team Rocket's leader barely heard him. He only had eyes for the little girl who was now running towards him. Before he had taken three steps the child was in his arms, hugging him for all she was worth.
"I missed you!" she informed him, burying her face in his shoulder as he embraced her.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, oblivious to the tears running down his face. "I'm so sorry for losing my temper."
"It's okay," she told him, clutching him tightly. "Family forgives."
"Are you all right?" Giovanni asked. "Butch and Cassidy didn't hurt you?"
"No, they SAVED me, Uncle! First the helicopter broke and we had to jump out of it, then we had to walk a looooooong way and steal a blimp, then we got stuck in a building and Butch hid me in the wall to keep the police from finding me and someone gave me a phone to call for help. Then they all got caught. You'll help them, won't you? You won't leave them all in jail?"
Giovanni sighed, realizing that his plan to get rid of Butch and Cassidy had backfired. Not only had it failed miserably, but he was now indebted to them for saving his niece's life. The very least he could do was bail them out. "No, I won't leave them in jail," he told the child. "We'll get everyone out."
Anari sighed with relief. "I'm so glad... I can't wait to go back home."
Home.
She had just referred to Team Rocket Headquarters as home, and for the first time her mind and heart were both in agreement. She was going back where she belonged. She reached for her uncle's hand and grabbed it, squeezing it tightly. He squeezed back.
.
To be continued in Chapter 4: "Twelve Men and a Little Lady"