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Crimson Forest…
5 mile outside of Doomstad, the Dark Continent capital…
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Motoko Kusanagi was not one given to fear. And truth be told, the statuesque, buxom, black-haired red-eyed beauty in the black-armored uniform wasn’t afraid right now.
She wasn’t afraid for her life.
Really.
She was just concerned, that was all.
Who wouldn’t be, with a pissed-off Gynadose screaming for your blood?
"Tachikoma, where’s my cover fire?" she snarled into her comm-link, having to shout over the sound of the sea-monster Pokégirl roaring, the Gynadose’s Tamer laughing viciously.
"Working on it, Major," replied a calm, steady voice, "Getting a bead on her, but it would be better if she wasn’t rampaging around."
Which means that she needs a target to focus on… Motoko thought, swearing inwardly. Aloud, she said, "Prepare to fire on my mark. You have my permission to use lethal force on both the Gynadose and the Tamer."
"Acknowledged," said Tachikoma.
Motoko checked her elemental pistol, loading it with electrical shells, and idly fingered her greatsword. She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and stood up, walking brazenly out into the clearing, the Gynadose and her Tamer staring at her incredulously. She fixed them with her most stern look, walking calmly towards them.
The Gynadose chuckled, and stomped forward, looming over Motoko.
"You made a mistake in coming out, Doombitch," the Tamer, a muscular, blonde-haired man with average features, said as he laughed.
"I kill you now," the Gynadose rumbled.
Motoko smiled, noticing the little red dot on the Gynadose’s forehead. "You first," she said simply.
The Gynadose growled… and then twitched slightly as a high intensity plasma bullet passed through her skull, killing her instantly.
Motoko sighed, and gently nudged the Gynadose’s corpse over. The Tamer stared at her in shock. "…Marta?" he said softly.
Motoko pointed her elemental pistol at him, her other hand going to the greatsword mounted on her back. "Eric Angelus, you are under arrest. Your crimes are many, but due to their lack of severity, do not merit summary Judgement or execution. I am allowed to make you this offer: Surrender, and allow Lord Doom to help make you a productive member of society. If you refuse, you will be killed immediately in defiance of the laws of the WorldGuardian."
Eric just glared at her, tears in his eyes as he grinned viciously. "Prepare for trouble…" he said simply.
Motoko nodded, understanding. "You fought well," she said, shooting him in the face. The bullet entered his forehead and exploded, his head vaporizing in a blast of electrical energy.
She sighed, and pulled the two bodies together, letting Tamer and Pokégirl be together in death.
"I’ll never understand them… Why they throw away happiness so readily in favor of chaos…" she said.
"Some people are born chaotic," said a voice, a camouflage-armored Pokégirl floating down from the treetops on wing-like hover units. The GunValkyrie, Tachikoma, removed her helmet and shook her head, "Not all of them understand the beauty of Doom’s world."
Motoko just shook her head, and kissed the GunValkyrie. "You did good, Tachikoma. A clean shot."
Tachikoma nodded, never losing her emotionless expression even with the blush she gained from her Tamer’s kiss. "Thank you, Major."
Motoko’s face broke into a smile, as she kissed the GunValkyrie with a bit more passion this time. Tachikoma, while not exactly protesting, was a little surprised. "Major?"
"Sorry. Chasing Rockets always depresses me, and I just need a little affection," she said.
Tachikoma blushed even more, allowing herself a small smile. "As tempting as that is, Lord Doom trained us both better than that. We have a mission to complete."
Motoko nodded. "True enough…" she said, tapping the comm-device on her uniform collar, "All units, report in," she said.
"M77 reporting in. Me and Carmelita have picked up the punks on this end. I’m getting too old for this…" said an older male voice.
Motoko chuckled softly. "Hang in there, Zenigata. Just a couple more months until retirement."
"M72 reporting in," said a gruff male voice, "No luck catching the one I was after, but Isinia and Kat were able to retrieve the weapon she had stolen."
"Excellent work, Doggie," Motoko said, "Be sure to reward those girls of yours tonight."
"I intend to," the voice said, chuckling.
"M75 reporting," said an amused voice, holding a trace of the Pre-Sukebe accent usually found on Bronx New York. "Got mine caught. Gave the idiots a taste of some of my ‘blaster specials.’"
Motoko rolled her eyes. "Acknowledged, Kurtis, but I want to have a talk with you about those grenades of yours after the mission."
"Awww…" Kurtis said, feigning sadness.
"M73 reporting in. Had to use a summary Judgement on mine. They took hostages, and managed to put a couple rounds in me," said another male voice, this one slightly younger than the others.
Motoko frowned. "You okay, Murphy?"
"Nothing the Night Nurse back at the jumpship can’t fix," Murphy said, chuckling.
Motoko shook her head. "You should wear your suit into the field. You were given that prototype powered armor for a reason."
Murphy’s scowl could be felt over the radio. "That thing ITCHES. And it takes forever to get off! A HENTAICUTE would lose the mood by the time I took it off!"
Motoko rubbed her temples. "We’ll talk on this later. M76, report in."
There was a brief sound of flame, and the scream of a very large man.
"M76! Josef! REPORT!"
"I am fine," said a voice, thick with an accent of Pre-Sukebe Russian, "Just took a Blast Burn point blank. Suit absorbed it, but I will be needing a tailor after this is over. Hershey took out the attackers."
"Good. We don’t want to lose you, Josef. You’re an asset to the Seven," Motoko said.
Josef grunted. "How is Elisa?"
"M74 hasn’t reported in yet. I’m checking now," she said, breaking the link and turning to her last teammate’s channel.
"M74, report," Motoko said. No answer came. She frowned, and called for her again.
"Something’s wrong," Motoko said. Just then, her comm-link re-activated. She tapped the device on her uniform collar, and listened in.
"M74 to M71. I’ve found the last of them. You were right, Motoko, it’s Team Rocket. I’ve got Dracon’s second-in-command in my sights. And he’s hauling Jusenkyo water," said her teammate, Elisa Maza.
"Ah damn," Motoko said, scowling, "Do you need backup?"
"No, I got it. I’ve got him on a path to a nearby series of caverns my brother and I used to play in as kids. I’ll corner him and bring him down."
"Just be careful, Elisa. We’ve rounded up the others. Leave your communicator on and we’ll trace your signal."
"Roger. M74 out," Elisa said, going silent.
Motoko tapped her comm-link, going all channels with it. "Everyone converge on M74’s signal. Have the Tank Vixxen pilots come pick up whomever you’ve captured and meet us there. Elisa’s tracking down the last of them."
Motoko pulled out a tracking device from her belt, and began homing on Elisa’s signal, Pokéballing Tachikoma and running. She was farther away than Motoko had expected, and that had her worried. The sounds of battle coming from the comm-link weren’t helping much either. She was half-tempted to activate her suit’s Accel Mode, but she was still too far away to make using it a safe option.
As she ran, though, she heard something that made her blood run cold.
A Wendigo’s roar. Followed soon after by Elisa’s comm-link going offline.
"DAMN IT ALL!" Motoko snarled, breaking into a run. She decided that at the distance she was at, she couldn’t risk going all out with Accel Mode. She just prayed she could get to Elisa in time.
Motoko ran all out, pumping her legs as fast as she could, heading towards the location of Elisa’s last signal. When she jumped onto the scene, she saw a Gar-Gal being Tamed by a human male. She was about to move on, heading for the Wendigo’s cave, when she heard a familiar voice come from the Gar-Gal as she moaned in pleasure.
It was Elisa.
For a moment, Motoko just stared, her mind blanking at the sight of her longtime friend and partner as a Pokégirl, being Tamed by another. The moment passed quickly, a cold fury overtaking her. That too passed as she regained her composure. She would deal with this in a calm, professional manner, as dictated to her by the law.
THEN she’d kick the little Rocket-punk’s ass for Taming her friend.
Zenigata reached her first. The older man, clad in a trenchcoat and fedora over his uniform, was panting as he reached Motoko. He staggered towards her, gasping, and said, "Dropped off mine with Doggie. He, Kurtis, and Murphy are taking the prisoners back to the jumpship, and Josef is just a few clicks behind me. The others will come when the jumpship comes. What’s the situation?"
"That," Motoko said, pointing to Elisa being Tamed.
Zenigata blanched, shaking his head. "Damn… First Taming, that means we can’t interfere…"
"Even if it is with a Rocket…" Motoko muttered.
Zenigata glared at her. "Rage back, Motoko. We don’t know the whole story here."
Motoko sighed. She watched as Elisa writhed in pleasure underneath the Tamer’s thrusts, and tried to tune it out, waiting for the others to arrive.
Josef arrived first, the gigantic, heavily muscled man barreling through the bushes. "I am here," he said, dusting ash off of his charred, shredded uniform and his bright red beard, "Where is…"
It was then he noticed Elisa and the Tamer.
Josef took in a breath, clenching his teeth in rage as his face went as red as his hair. He started to walk forward, aiming his gun at the Tamer, but Motoko and Zenigata grabbed him, just barely able to hold the mountain of a man back.
"Let me go," he hissed.
"First Taming, Josef. You know the law," Motoko snapped.
"We don’t like it either, but First Taming is too important a law to break," Zenigata said, trying to placate.
Josef gave Elisa a desperate look, trying not to cry out as he saw her kiss the man passionately.
Motoko sighed. "Josef, I know how you feel about her. She doesn’t feel the same way, and it’s too late anyway."
Josef growled. "How do we know it IS First Taming?"
Zenigata glared at him. "Got any proof it isn’t?"
Josef just looked away, unable to answer him.
At that moment, Murphy, Kurtis, and Doggie leaped through the bushes, weapons and Pokéballs at the ready.
Zenigata glared at them. "I thought you were supposed to be bringing the ship," he said, glaring at Murphy.
The handsome, blonde-haired officer shrugged, wincing in pain from the hastily bandaged shoulder wound he had received. "The ship will be along. We’re not about to let Elisa go alone. Why are we just…" Murphy said, trailing off as he finally noticed the Taming going on, "Oh CRAP…"
Doggie and Kurtis were having similar reactions.
"H-How…?" Doggie said after a moment, his vaguely canine features bunching up in confusion.
Motoko scowled. "We’ll ask him once he’s done."
Kurtis, adjusting the baseball cap on his head, smirked. "Can we ask him politely?"
Motoko shook her head. "No grenades, Kurtis. And Josef, don’t take any from him either."
"Spoilsport," Kurtis said, snickering as he looked at Elisa, his grin fading.
After a few moments more, Elisa and the young man finished. As they lay basking in the afterglow, Motoko nodded.
"Guns ready, gentlemen. And ready a Pokégirl in case he turns out to have powers. Goddess knows what the Rockets are coming up with these days…"
As the others aimed their firearms at him, Motoko went over and kicked the man in the head. Elisa looked up, growling at Motoko, as she glared down at the man. He took one look at Motoko and all the guns and grinned nervously.
"Um… Hiya," he said.
Motoko scowled. "I am Major Motoko Kusanagi, Leader of Doom’s Elite Guard, code name the Magnificent Seven. And you, Rocket-scum, are in a shitload of trouble."
"Judging by the amount of wands aimed at me, I can imagine that I am," he said. Motoko and the others blinked a little at what he called their guns, but maintained their aim.
"Go ‘way! He not Rocket member!" Elisa said, her voice slurred slightly from Taming shock.
"Stand down, Elisa," Motoko snapped, gripping the man by the remains of his shirt and pulling him to his feet. "Who the hell are you, and why are you Taming my teammate?"
Elisa growled, her eyes glowing an angry red, and gripped Motoko’s arm. "He not enemy! Leave ALONE!"
The man gulped nervously. "Ma’am, my name is Aaron Towers. I came upon your friend as some large fuzzy thing was attacking her. It had already eaten her leg. If I hadn’t driven it off, she would have been eaten or at the very least bled to death. As it is, I probably just barely managed to regenerate her leg in time."
"Is true!" Elisa said, nodding vigorously, "Master save me from Wendigo!"
Motoko flinched at mentioned on the word ‘Master,’ as Aaron suddenly looked confused. "Wait, Master?" he said, "But I’m not…"
"ENOUGH," Motoko said, "Elisa, I’m sorry, but I have to be sure. I’m going to use Judgement on him."
"Is that a truth spell of some kind? Fair enough then," Aaron said, nodding.
"N-no," Elisa said, paling in fright, "Is not n-needed."
Motoko set him down, and turned to her partner. "If you’re right about him, he has nothing to fear from the spell."
Elisa bit her lip nervously, and nodded reluctantly, stepping back to join the others. Motoko turned back to Aaron and pulled out her badge, flipping it open.
Motoko concentrated, her eyes glowing as she prepared to cast the spell. The hand not carrying the badge began to glow.
"Aaron Towers, you are accused of being a member of the criminal group Team Rocket. You are charged in connection to the unwilling transformation of Captain Elisa Maza into a Pokégirl, as well as Taming her for nefarious purposes. To determine your guilt or innocence, you are to face Judgement," she said.
"I am ready," Aaron said calmly, surprising everyone. Most people became quivering wrecks at the mere MENTION of the Judgement spell.
Motoko didn’t let her surprise show, and touched her glowing hand to the badge. A red and green beam of light spiraled out and hit Aaron in the chest, lifting him up into the air. He stared passively at Motoko as the death-mask sigil appeared underneath him, flashing between red and green, slowly coming to a stop.
The sigil settled on green. Motoko blinked, surprised, and sighed, flipping her badge closed. "Cast in the name of Doom, ye not guilty."
Aaron smirked as he dropped lightly to the ground. Elisa sighed, relaxing visibly as she went over and hugged him. Josef scowled as the others holstered their guns.
Motoko sighed. "Well, we’d better get back to the jumpship. We need to let Lord Doom know of what happened…"
Elisa blushed, and turned to Zenigata. "Sorry… Look like retirement delayed a bit longer…"
Zenigata chuckled. "It ain’t the first time… C’mon, let’s get you and your Tamer back to the ship."
Elisa nodded, hugging Aaron. Aaron frowned. "Um, what’s going on? Why did Elisa call me master?"
The seven cops turned to him, confused.
"You mean you really don’t know?" Doggie asked.
Aaron was about to speak up, but something he had been told earlier suddenly came back to him.
Anyone who finds out that you’re a Hopper will be a danger to you.
"Well…" Aaron said after thinking over his response CAREFULLY, "Honestly, I don’t. I think I’ve lost my memory. I can remember my name and how to work my magic, but beyond that, I’m fairly clueless."
Motoko frowned. "Damn Rockets… Well, we’re taking you to see Lord Doom anyway, so he might be able to help you with your memory. C’mon, let’s get back to the jumpship and we’ll explain a few things for you."
Elisa smiled and tugged Aaron’s arm, beckoning him onward. "Could someone explain the ‘Master’ comment first?" Aaron said, frowning.
Motoko sighed. "Elisa is a Gar-Gal, a breed of Pokégirl. But she wasn’t always. You were the first person to Tame her, or have sex with her, and by law that makes you her owner."
Aaron went wide-eyed. "Her WHAT?"
Elisa blushed. "Is sad, but true. Not best law, but is law," she said, giving Aaron a sad smile, "You come now, back to ship."
Aaron frowned. This was a little more than he expected, but he had to play along for now.
"Okay, I guess…" he said. Elisa smiled, and pulled him along.
Murphy looked him over and smiled. "C’mon kid, it’ll be all right. We have spare clothes for you and Elisa in the ship."
Reluctantly, he let himself be led back to the ship. He noticed, as he was walking, that the other six slowly dropped into a formation around him, their guns drawn. The largest of the men was behind him seemed very angry.
They don’t trust me still… The big guy in particular seems pissed with me… he thought, …And Elisa seems ready to jump to my defense against her teammates just because we had sex and I’m apparently her ‘owner’ now… Oh hell, what I am getting into?
After taking a few brief detours to avoid Feral Pokégirls, they reached a clearing where their ship was parked. Aaron stared at it, amazed.
It looked less like a vehicle and more like a giant metal turtle. The domed ‘shell’ of the ship, a shimmering metallic surface marred only by small dents and burn marks, comprised the majority of the ship, surrounded by a series of domed metal protrusions. The ‘head’ of the turtle comprised the cockpit. On the side of the ship, written in red lettering, were the words Sevenfold Dream.
Motoko pressed a button on her belt, a dome on the side of the ship irising open, a gangplank coming out. A woman in a white tank top and shorts came out, her hair dark black with a pink streak in it. "Are we done yet? I had to knock out the prisoners when they tried to bite down on their suicide capsules."
"Wonderful…" muttered Kurtis, "Did you remove them, Kayla?"
The Night Nurse nodded, smirking. "Yep. They won’t get out of their punishment that easily."
Kurtis folded his arms. "And did you leave the teeth the capsules were wrapped around?"
Kayla gave them a look of false shock. "You mean you DON’T have to take the teeth with the caplets? Amazing!"
Aaron snickered despite himself. Motoko rolled her eyes. "Let’s load up people," she said, waving for everyone to get onboard.
They all filed onto the ship. Aaron, with Elisa still hugging his arm, was the last to get on.
When he stepped through the gateway, the door irising shut behind him, he gasped.
The inside of the ship was HUGE. The center of the ship was a vast, high-tech chamber. In a lowered pit in the center was a rounded table with seven seats surrounding it. The table itself looked surprisingly simple, a shimmering glass surface on the top of it. But as he came further in, he saw a series of gold-plated advanced-looking machinery inside of it, blue-lights glistening all over it. Other areas of the ship were closed off by wide, high-tech doorways, and Aaron guessed that the prisoners mentioned earlier were behind one door, while living quarters were behind another. The third door Aaron guessed held the cockpit.
Doggie turned to him, the raven-haired man with his slightly canine features frowning. "Now, I hope you’ll understand, but we have to put you in with the prisoners. You won’t be locked up, you’ll be in the guard box with one of us the whole time. We simply don’t have enough living space to accommodate you for this trip."
Aaron nodded. "Fair enough," he said. Fine way to keep an eye on me, he thought.
"I take first watch with him," Elisa said, smiling.
Motoko shook her head. "Sorry Elisa, but I need you with me."
Elisa growled at her, her eyes flashing red. Motoko just folded her arms, not intimidated in the slightest.
"We need to report that Wendigo AND I want you personally to inform Lord Doom about what happened to you," Motoko said, allowing herself a smirk as she added, "Besides, I just had a Gynadose try to kill me earlier. You’re nothing, girly."
Elisa giggled, despite herself. She sighed, and let go of Aaron’s arm, going over to Motoko.
"I’ll take the watch this time," Doggie said, smiling and patting Motoko on the shoulder.
Motoko nodded. "Good," she said, leaning in and whispering something to him. Doggie nodded and led Aaron to the rear of the central room, taking him through the doors.
What caught Aaron’s attention immediately was the sheer brightness of the prison area. Everything was arranged at a precise angle, giving the room a block-like feel. The entirety of the room was painted a stark, almost glowing white, including the benches where the prisoners were sitting. They all simply stared at the floor, smirking softly to themselves, each one with a bandaged wound on their heads. They didn’t even look up when Aaron and Doggie walked in. A clear Plexiglas wall separated the guard area, marked by a simple closet and pair of seats in the wall. The whole thing was neat, orderly, and strictly arranged. Even the floors and walls had been polished so that they didn’t give off a reflection.
It was somewhat unnerving.
Aaron, blinking in the lights, didn’t notice Doggie motioning to the closet at first.
"I keep a spare uniform in there. You look to be about my size, so it should fit you until you get some clothes of your own," Doggie said, idly running a hand through his short, spiky black hair, "I’ll turn around if you’re uncomfortable."
Aaron shook his head. "It’s all right," he said, stripping off the tattered remnants of his shirt and pants, putting on the leather pants and uniform shirt, marked with a stylized, vaguely menacing symbol over the front.
As he did, Doggie took note of how the boy moved. He wasn’t a fighter, that much was obvious. But while he was soft around the midsection he wasn’t exactly out of shape, either.
Maybe a caster… Doggie thought. He shook his head, deciding to wait until he was ready before asking any questions.
After a moment, Aaron finished getting dressed and sat down. Doggie sat down on the bench across from him and smiled.
"Okay then m’friend. It’s time for us to talk," Doggie said, smiling.
Aaron nodded, trying not to show the wariness on his face as he smiled.
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Ship Barracks…
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"Wish had something less revealing," Elisa muttered, tugging at her black, lightly armored top, which barely covered her breasts and bared her midriff. The other part of her outfit was a simple loincloth with some panties underneath, which barely left her covered at all and were partially pushed down in the back by her tail.
"Best we could do on short notice, kiddo," Zenigata said, smiling sadly.
Murphy sighed, running a hand through his short, blonde hair. "You took to protecting him pretty quick, Elisa."
Elisa smiled sadly. "Is duty of Pokégirl to protect her master. Doubly so for breed I became. Lost control after transformation, got him to tame me of own free will. It too late to go back."
Murphy sighed. "I guess… Glad your voice is getting back to normal though…"
Josef snarled uncomfortably. "Can we please just contact Lord Doom and get this over with?"
"Calm down, Josef," Kurtis said, grinning boyishly, "Remember the teachings of Seido. Order your thoughts, steady your emotions…"
Josef snorted, an annoyed look coming to his face. "You think the teachings are silly. Why are you even bringing them up?"
"’Cause you’re easy to tease. And your annoyed face is one of the funniest damn things ever," Kurtis said, poking Josef with his tonfa.
Josef scowled deeply, making Kurtis laugh, and shouldered him out of the way as he moved to hang up his armor, leaving on his blue-and-black bodysuit. The others did the same, save for Elisa, who went back out from the living quarters to the central table to wait for the others. She winced slightly, sitting on her tail at first, and had to adjust herself to get comfortable…
The other members of the group put their weapons in their respective lockers and went to the table, sitting in chairs marked with their names. Once all six of them were seated, orbs rose up on the table from all seven seats. The five still-human police officers removed a glove and placed their hands on an orb, which glowed slightly.
"Special Law Enforcement Group codename Magnificent Seven reporting in," said Motoko, "Requesting immediate contact with Lord Doom for debriefing."
The center of the table glowed, forming a column of red light. A woman’s face appeared in the column, looking around the table. It’s eyes widened when it saw Elisa, but it quickly turned back to Motoko. "Request noted: Enter authorization code, Magnificent Seven."
"Acknowledged. Major Motoko Kusanagi, codename M71, entering first authorization code: Be thou my vision."
"Officer Alex Murphy, codename M73, entering second authorization code: O lord of my heart."
"Sergeant Kurtis Stryker, codename M75, entering third authorization code: Naught be all else to me."
"First Lieutenant Josef Dredkov, codename M76, entering fourth authorization code: Save that thou art."
"Detective Koichi Zenigata, codename M77, entering fifth authorization code: Thou be my best thought."
Motoko looked to Elisa, who sighed and nodded. Motoko shook her head and added, "Major Motoko Kusanagi entering sixth authorization code on behalf of Agent Anubis Kruger, codename M72, who is currently guarding prisoners: By day or by night. Also entering seventh authorization code on behalf of Captain Elisa Maza, codename M74, who has been… compromised: Waking or sleeping."
"Preliminary authorization codes accepted: Enter final authorization code," said the face in the column.
"Final Authorization Code: Thy presence my light," said the five human policemen in perfect unison.
"Authorization codes accepted. Patching you through to Lord Doom," said the face.
"Good," Motoko said, "We have a lot to report, Andraia."
The face looked at Elisa again. The Gar-Gal turned away, unable to meet the face’s gaze. The face turned back to Motoko. "I’m certain you do. End of line," the face said, retracting into the column of light, the column changing into an image of a field of flowers. In the center of it sat a large, muscle-bound man, even larger than Josef. A long, white beard extended halfway down his chest, his long, white hair bound up in a ponytail. He was clad simply, in a pair of white sweatpants, his feet and upper body left bare. Claw scars and healed burns covered the exposed parts of his body, a serene expression on his aquiline, rocklike face as he sat in a lotus position, hands resting on his thighs, in the center of the rainbow of blossoms that covered the garden.
Almost immediately, the expressions of all six policemen became one of adoration and reverence.
"Mighty one," Motoko said, her voice soft but excited, "Your Magnficent Seven have come to report on our mission."
The powerful old man opened his eyes, exposing the gentle brown coloring underneath his lids. "Seven? I see only six," he said, his voice surprisingly soft for his size, "One of you is missing, and another… another has changed…"
Elisa looked away, suddenly ashamed. "F-Forgive me…"
Motoko shook her head, frowning. "My lord. Doggie… I mean, Anubis, is guarding the prisoners. And as for Elisa… We had some… difficulty, in capturing the Rockets we were sent after. Dracon’s second, Glasses, was chased into a cavern which unfortunately had a Wendigo in it."
Doom frowned, "A Wendigo? Hm… I’ll have to contact the Inquisition then… And Elisa…?"
Elisa flinched, and started to speak, the words coming with slight difficulty due to her fading evolution shock. "M-my lord… I was careless… I let the Rocketscum’s Tick-Tock get behind me as I was putting her master through Judgement. Once the spell was dropped, he sprayed me with some of the water stolen from Neo Jusenkyo."
Doom sighed sadly. "Oh dear… Well, I suppose we will have to arrange a good Tamer for you…"
Elisa closed her eyes sadly, lowering her head. "There is more, my lord… I went into evo shock after my change… My leg from the knee down was completely severed and eaten, but a Tamer came and drove of the Wendigo before he could finish me off. He healed me with a magical spell, and then I… I couldn’t control my desire…" Her voice choked off, Elisa unable to finish her sentence.
Doom smiled gently. "First Taming?"
"Forgive me, my lord…" she said.
Doom sighed. "Look at me, Elisa Maza," he said.
Reluctantly, Elisa slowly turned her head towards Doom’s image. Doom smiled at her in a loving, fatherly manner.
"Elisa, my magnificence. I knew from the moment I gave you your name that you were destined for greatness," Doom said, his voice soft and encouraging, "If destiny has taken you in this direction, then so be it."
Elisa shook her head, tears flowing down her face. "M-My lord, it has been my one desire to serve you…"
Doom grinned. "And you shall. By serving your Tamer as a Pokégirl should, you shall be serving me."
Elisa looked uneasy. "I… I guess so…"
Doom nodded, smiling benevolently. "Everything will be fine. Trust in me, Elisa Maza."
Elisa nodded, and hesitantly began to smile.
Motoko coughed, bringing the attention back to her. "Forgive me lord, but on Elisa’s new Tamer…"
Doom turned to her, nodding. "Yes. Where is the young man who saved Elisa? I would like to thank him…"
"With Doggie… I mean Anubis, sir. He is interviewing the boy…" she said, frowning.
Doom blinked, a confused look coming to his face. "Anubis? Only reason you’d put him with Anubis is if you had doubts about him…"
"He passed Judgement, Motoko," Elisa snapped. Doom’s expression became even more confused.
"True enough. But he also claims amnesia…" Motoko said.
Doom frowned, scratching his balding head. "And you don’t believe him?"
Motoko bit her lip, hesitating a moment before speaking. "Sir… Anubis and I think he is a Hopper."
Alarmed looks came to Josef, Murphy, Kurtis, Zenigata, and Elisa’s faces. Doom’s gentle face hardened as he stared at Motoko, alarm and anger visible on his face.
"A H-Hopper?" Kurtis said, his eyes wide with fear, "For real!?"
Josef shook his head, sneering. "Impossible! The D-Seal Lord Doom made for this reality would NEVER fail!"
"ENOUGH," Doom said, "Motoko, you are certain?"
Motoko nodded. "I know how it sounds… But what he said rung false to Anubis and I. There may be a chance that he is a Hopper, if possibly a non-malevolent one…"
Zenigata shook his head, glaring at her. "No such thing, Motoko," he said. Elisa just stared at Motoko in mute horror, shaking her head in disbelief.
Doom glared at Zenigata, silencing the older detective. He then turned back to Motoko, taking a deep breath to calm himself. He spoke calmly, his voice firm and even.
"Now you listen to me very carefully, for what I have to say is of the utmost importance. It will ease your fears and calm your mind. My children, Doom speaks."
As soon as Doom said ‘My children, Doom speaks,’ a small microchip in the back of each policeman’s neck activated. Each one of them felt a slight numbness in their heads, their thoughts becoming muddles.
Doom smiled warmly when he saw their eyes glaze over, and spoke again. "I check the D-Seal several times a day. In fact, before I came to my garden for my daily communion with nature, I checked the status of the D-Seal. There are NO BREAKS in it. The boy is not a Hopper."
Five of the police officers nodded numbly. Motoko, however, still looked uneasy. "My lord…"
"Motoko. I know you don’t like to be wrong. But in this instance I am afraid you are," Doom said gently.
"…Sir…"
Doom chuckled. "Is it not possible that the boy’s story is true? That he is amnesiac? The Chaosborn and the Rocketscum have done much worse…"
Motoko frowned. She was so confused, and it was so hard to think for some reason…
Doom grinned. "Motoko. Trust in me… The boy saved Elisa, and he passed Judgement…"
Motoko nodded, her confidence starting to return. "You’re right… he did pass Judgement…"
Doom looked at her sidelong. "Then he couldn’t be a Hopper. Right?"
Motoko hesitated for a moment and nodded. "Yes sir… You are right… You are always right…"
Doom nodded. "Even you can be wrong once in a while, dear Motoko. Doom has spoken."
With that, the numbness and fogginess in the minds of the six police officers faded. Motoko shook her head, trying to clear it.
Okay… Yeah, that makes sense, Motoko thought, The Rocketscum probably brainwiped the kid. I’ll tell Doggie to let up on him.
Doom smiled. "Was there anything else?" he said, looking around at the six police officers, now all relaxed and smiling once more.
Motoko shook her head. "Nothing else, my lord. Just the Wendigo, the Tamer, and Elisa’s transformation."
Doom nodded. "Farewell then, my children. Oh, and when you get here, bring the boy to me. I would like to meet him."
==============
Doom’s Garden…
==============
Doom chuckled softly, hearing Murphy say "Lucky stiff…" as the connection was broken. Once the image faded completely, his face hardened into an angry sneer. He turned to a muscle-bound woman standing next to him, a projector retracting into her high-tech red armor.
"Andraia," he snapped, "Get a reprogramming kit ready."
The Pokégirl quirked an eyebrow. "Sir? Are you saying that…"
"Motoko is NEVER WRONG, Andraia. Get a reprogramming kit ready for when the boy gets here. And a memory recorder as well. He doesn’t know it yet, but he just made it easy for us…" Doom said, sighing.
Andraia nodded. "Of course Master. But if it’s not too pertinent to ask, why not erase him? A Controlled Level 3 taming cycle would surely remove him from Elisa’s mind."
Doom glared at her. "You know why I don’t do that anymore, Andraia. You know damn well why," he said, exasperated with her.
Andraia quirked an eyebrow, the only change to her otherwise emotionless expression, and bowed. "Very well, Master, I go to do your bidding."
The Pokégirl pressed a button on her gauntlet, and vanished in a flash of red. Doom sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Well boy, whoever you are…" Doom said, sitting back down in his meditation position, "I hope you appreciate this… Most of my ilk would simply destroy to keep their world in order. But I have a far, far better fate in mind for you…"
=== To Be Continued… ===