05-09-2016, 10:38 AM
Matrix and AndrAIa hurried down their dirt trail, and before long they were in the main town of Cinnabar Island. AndrAIa displayed much more familiarity with the civilization than Matrix did, and quickly made her way to the correct building. Matrix, however, was right on her tail. They entered one of the few large buildings, and Matrix immediately recognized it, based off the interior. This was the same building they’d spoken to the council in when they’d first arrived on the island. Instead of ascending to the second story, like before, they moved through a hallway on the first story, and found themselves with a massive, black skinned creature known as a Charizard between them and the door they were seeking.
The sight of the creature was enough to make a normal person go on the defensive, but Matrix knew that the inhabitants of Cinnabar took odd appearances, sometimes. AndrAIa, meanwhile, knew the Charizard personally, and immediately took a warm, and soothing tone upon seeing him.
“Vulcan!” AndrAIa called out to the Charizard.
Vulcan, the shiny Charizard, turned to look at the familiar face of AndrAIa. A small bit of relief washed across his face, but he was still very visibly upset. It was hard to fault him over it, however.
“AndrAIa,” Vulcan quietly greeted his friend. For such a mighty beast, his voice was shaking and the terror was obvious. He was torn up over the disappearance of his son.
“Vulcan, this is my boyfriend, Matrix,” AndrAIa introduced Matrix once they closed the gap.
Matrix quietly held his hand out, and Vulcan mimicked the gesture. The two shook hands, though for Vulcan it was mostly a polite formality he forced himself to adhere to. His mind was far too preoccupied to remotely care about meeting anyone new.
“Pleased,” Vulcan’s greeting sounded forced, as well. It was hard to blame him.
“We’ll find him, Vulcan,” AndrAIa tried to soothe her friend.
The Charizard struggled to hear the words of comfort. He politely nodded, but couldn’t shake the thoughts of what horrors might await his only son. He felt terror and uncertainty, but also an unyielding rage that, when coming from a Charizard, must be respected.
“Where are the other two?” Matrix asked, not wasting his time with formalities, either.
“They’re talking to Zlick in that room,” Vulcan said as he gestured to the nearest door. He started pacing; anything to prevent himself from storming back in.
Matrix didn’t say another word. He forced the door open with the palm of his left hand and walked right in. AndrAIa took Vulcan’s claws in her hand, in the meantime. She tried to offer him a comforting smile, but it wasn’t entirely soothing, given his panicked state of mind. Recognizing that, she let go, and entered the room behind Matrix.
The room was bland and barely decorated, like most on Cinnabar Island. The main highlight was the young Jawa that sat in a chair in the center of the room. Matrix and AndrAIa, both, would recognize Zlick anywhere, despite the Jawas’ ability to blend into any crowd of their species. The minute features that distinguished him were just things they’d both picked up, after braving an island of dinosaurs with the young creature. On one side of the Jawa was Syril, the blue skinned Yoshi with two pistols on his shoulder holsters, and on the other was the towering Pokemon known as Golem, who served as one of the councilors that helped lead the island. All three looked to Matrix and AndrAIa upon their entrance into the room.
“Matrix,” Syril was curt, but polite with his greeting.
“Syril,” Matrix responded just the same.
“We heard about Coal, we wanted to see how we could help,” AndrAIa said, getting right to business.
“Zlick says he doesn’t know much, and Kero wasn’t much help either,” Golem grunted in dissatisfaction. He was clearly livid at the entire situation, and holding back his fury. “There’s no telling what their little hero complex has gotten them into.”
“I…I promise I don’t know where he went. He didn’t say anything,” Zlick tried to chip in, with a quivering voice.
“Can I have a moment with Zlick?” AndrAIa asked, sensing the collective rage in the room. Maybe a more delicate touch was required to get something out of the scared Jawa child.
Golem looked to Syril, who gave a hesitant nod. Matrix, Syril, and Golem paced to the other end of the room, while AndrAIa took a kneel near the seated child. They were out of earshot, but at the same time they did not totally exit the room. Matrix decided to take this opportunity to get a little more of his own intel.
“How’s Vulcan?” Matrix asked, crossing his arms as he did.
“Bad,” Syril bluntly responded. “We had to restrain him from attacking the poor Jawa, and finally had to send him out of the room.”
“What are the chances Zlick and Kero actually know something, and we’re not wasting our time with them?” Matrix continued to ask. “From what I could tell, Coal was much more into their superhero plan than the rest of them. Would he run off on his own?”
“I doubt it,” Golem replied this time. “He loves attention more than anything. He wouldn’t leave his friends behind; he’d insist on them joining him. The fact that we have them but not him is what’s so troubling.”
They glanced over to see that AndrAIa was already approaching the group. Golem and Syril looked surprised, but Matrix wasn’t in the slightest. After all, AndrAIa had a way with words and was quite capable of using her charm. It was part of what made their little team so complete and effective.
“Zlick remembers they were approached by a Pokemon called a Hypno, with a large scar across his right eye and another on his lower lip and jaw,” AndrAIa said as she joined them. “He didn’t remember much else, so those must have been distinguishing. The Hypno offered the three of them a chance to join an elite, special group of Pokemon and other creatures that worked to better the word. Who on Cinnabar would be advertising that?”
Golem and Syril exchanged stern, worried looks.
“The Liberation Front,” Golem almost snarled.
“Who?” Matrix asked. He recognized the name, but didn’t quite know what it was they were talking about, yet.
“This isn’t the childrens’ fault, councilor,” Syril did not immediately answer Matrix. “They were tricked by a professional.”
“I know,” Golem replied, then looked to Matrix and AndrAIa. “The Pokemon Liberation Front is a terrorist organization that spawned out of Cinnabar, sadly. The murderous Wartortle took some of our more militant neighbors and they went on to do horrible, unproductive things to the other factions of the Omniverse. Murders, bombings, anything to create chaos and unrest. They’re not treated as seriously as they should be, so that makes them do even more terrible things.”
Matrix closed his eyes for just a moment as he processed that. Things did not look good for Coal if he had fallen in with a group like that.
“Why recruit here, though?” Syril asked. “Wartortle is a prime, and a powerful one. He can summon his own army of followers, customized however he likes. What good are our children?”
“Because Coal and the others have connections, and they’re established in the community,” Golem answered with no pause. “That makes it easy to use them to undermine us, after they’ve been properly brainwashed.”
“Well, supposedly they could have found this Hypno at a place called Bilgewater, but they went to Isla Nublar instead, and that’s when we came in,” AndrAIa explained. “Whether or not Coal went of his own accord, we have to get him back. He certainly doesn’t understand what he’s gotten into.”
“I agree,” Matrix confidently nodded. “I’ll gladly rip the limbs off all of them, if I have to.”
“We’ll have to use a bit more finesse to find their base in the area, I’m sure,” AndrAIa said, resting a hand on Matrix’s shoulder. She could tell he was already getting worked up. “Could we pretend to be interested recruits?”
“Not likely,” Golem shook his head. “You’re not exactly human looking, but both of you are close enough that they would want nothing to do with you. We can’t send more children, and Vulcan wouldn’t be able to do anything other than rip their limbs of, and we’d never find that island’s cell.”
Matrix, AndrAIa, and Golem all shifted their eye line to Syril, who already looked displeased with the concept.
“Fine,” Syril grumbled, incredibly displeased with his silently assigned role. “For the children.”
“We’ll take our boat, and head out just as soon as we get everything we need packed,” AndrAIa said, not giving the Yoshi time to change his mind. She looked to Matrix, and her boyfriend nodded.
“You deal with Vulcan,” Matrix said to the Golem. “We’ll find these terrorists.”
Golem nodded, and watched as the trio departed the room. He then gave a simple wave, and the jawa hopped down from the chair and followed him from the room as well, his head hung low. Golem sighed. He was almost more worried about his own task of explaining everything to the Charizard, than he was the mission to Bilgewater.
The sight of the creature was enough to make a normal person go on the defensive, but Matrix knew that the inhabitants of Cinnabar took odd appearances, sometimes. AndrAIa, meanwhile, knew the Charizard personally, and immediately took a warm, and soothing tone upon seeing him.
“Vulcan!” AndrAIa called out to the Charizard.
Vulcan, the shiny Charizard, turned to look at the familiar face of AndrAIa. A small bit of relief washed across his face, but he was still very visibly upset. It was hard to fault him over it, however.
“AndrAIa,” Vulcan quietly greeted his friend. For such a mighty beast, his voice was shaking and the terror was obvious. He was torn up over the disappearance of his son.
“Vulcan, this is my boyfriend, Matrix,” AndrAIa introduced Matrix once they closed the gap.
Matrix quietly held his hand out, and Vulcan mimicked the gesture. The two shook hands, though for Vulcan it was mostly a polite formality he forced himself to adhere to. His mind was far too preoccupied to remotely care about meeting anyone new.
“Pleased,” Vulcan’s greeting sounded forced, as well. It was hard to blame him.
“We’ll find him, Vulcan,” AndrAIa tried to soothe her friend.
The Charizard struggled to hear the words of comfort. He politely nodded, but couldn’t shake the thoughts of what horrors might await his only son. He felt terror and uncertainty, but also an unyielding rage that, when coming from a Charizard, must be respected.
“Where are the other two?” Matrix asked, not wasting his time with formalities, either.
“They’re talking to Zlick in that room,” Vulcan said as he gestured to the nearest door. He started pacing; anything to prevent himself from storming back in.
Matrix didn’t say another word. He forced the door open with the palm of his left hand and walked right in. AndrAIa took Vulcan’s claws in her hand, in the meantime. She tried to offer him a comforting smile, but it wasn’t entirely soothing, given his panicked state of mind. Recognizing that, she let go, and entered the room behind Matrix.
The room was bland and barely decorated, like most on Cinnabar Island. The main highlight was the young Jawa that sat in a chair in the center of the room. Matrix and AndrAIa, both, would recognize Zlick anywhere, despite the Jawas’ ability to blend into any crowd of their species. The minute features that distinguished him were just things they’d both picked up, after braving an island of dinosaurs with the young creature. On one side of the Jawa was Syril, the blue skinned Yoshi with two pistols on his shoulder holsters, and on the other was the towering Pokemon known as Golem, who served as one of the councilors that helped lead the island. All three looked to Matrix and AndrAIa upon their entrance into the room.
“Matrix,” Syril was curt, but polite with his greeting.
“Syril,” Matrix responded just the same.
“We heard about Coal, we wanted to see how we could help,” AndrAIa said, getting right to business.
“Zlick says he doesn’t know much, and Kero wasn’t much help either,” Golem grunted in dissatisfaction. He was clearly livid at the entire situation, and holding back his fury. “There’s no telling what their little hero complex has gotten them into.”
“I…I promise I don’t know where he went. He didn’t say anything,” Zlick tried to chip in, with a quivering voice.
“Can I have a moment with Zlick?” AndrAIa asked, sensing the collective rage in the room. Maybe a more delicate touch was required to get something out of the scared Jawa child.
Golem looked to Syril, who gave a hesitant nod. Matrix, Syril, and Golem paced to the other end of the room, while AndrAIa took a kneel near the seated child. They were out of earshot, but at the same time they did not totally exit the room. Matrix decided to take this opportunity to get a little more of his own intel.
“How’s Vulcan?” Matrix asked, crossing his arms as he did.
“Bad,” Syril bluntly responded. “We had to restrain him from attacking the poor Jawa, and finally had to send him out of the room.”
“What are the chances Zlick and Kero actually know something, and we’re not wasting our time with them?” Matrix continued to ask. “From what I could tell, Coal was much more into their superhero plan than the rest of them. Would he run off on his own?”
“I doubt it,” Golem replied this time. “He loves attention more than anything. He wouldn’t leave his friends behind; he’d insist on them joining him. The fact that we have them but not him is what’s so troubling.”
They glanced over to see that AndrAIa was already approaching the group. Golem and Syril looked surprised, but Matrix wasn’t in the slightest. After all, AndrAIa had a way with words and was quite capable of using her charm. It was part of what made their little team so complete and effective.
“Zlick remembers they were approached by a Pokemon called a Hypno, with a large scar across his right eye and another on his lower lip and jaw,” AndrAIa said as she joined them. “He didn’t remember much else, so those must have been distinguishing. The Hypno offered the three of them a chance to join an elite, special group of Pokemon and other creatures that worked to better the word. Who on Cinnabar would be advertising that?”
Golem and Syril exchanged stern, worried looks.
“The Liberation Front,” Golem almost snarled.
“Who?” Matrix asked. He recognized the name, but didn’t quite know what it was they were talking about, yet.
“This isn’t the childrens’ fault, councilor,” Syril did not immediately answer Matrix. “They were tricked by a professional.”
“I know,” Golem replied, then looked to Matrix and AndrAIa. “The Pokemon Liberation Front is a terrorist organization that spawned out of Cinnabar, sadly. The murderous Wartortle took some of our more militant neighbors and they went on to do horrible, unproductive things to the other factions of the Omniverse. Murders, bombings, anything to create chaos and unrest. They’re not treated as seriously as they should be, so that makes them do even more terrible things.”
Matrix closed his eyes for just a moment as he processed that. Things did not look good for Coal if he had fallen in with a group like that.
“Why recruit here, though?” Syril asked. “Wartortle is a prime, and a powerful one. He can summon his own army of followers, customized however he likes. What good are our children?”
“Because Coal and the others have connections, and they’re established in the community,” Golem answered with no pause. “That makes it easy to use them to undermine us, after they’ve been properly brainwashed.”
“Well, supposedly they could have found this Hypno at a place called Bilgewater, but they went to Isla Nublar instead, and that’s when we came in,” AndrAIa explained. “Whether or not Coal went of his own accord, we have to get him back. He certainly doesn’t understand what he’s gotten into.”
“I agree,” Matrix confidently nodded. “I’ll gladly rip the limbs off all of them, if I have to.”
“We’ll have to use a bit more finesse to find their base in the area, I’m sure,” AndrAIa said, resting a hand on Matrix’s shoulder. She could tell he was already getting worked up. “Could we pretend to be interested recruits?”
“Not likely,” Golem shook his head. “You’re not exactly human looking, but both of you are close enough that they would want nothing to do with you. We can’t send more children, and Vulcan wouldn’t be able to do anything other than rip their limbs of, and we’d never find that island’s cell.”
Matrix, AndrAIa, and Golem all shifted their eye line to Syril, who already looked displeased with the concept.
“Fine,” Syril grumbled, incredibly displeased with his silently assigned role. “For the children.”
“We’ll take our boat, and head out just as soon as we get everything we need packed,” AndrAIa said, not giving the Yoshi time to change his mind. She looked to Matrix, and her boyfriend nodded.
“You deal with Vulcan,” Matrix said to the Golem. “We’ll find these terrorists.”
Golem nodded, and watched as the trio departed the room. He then gave a simple wave, and the jawa hopped down from the chair and followed him from the room as well, his head hung low. Golem sighed. He was almost more worried about his own task of explaining everything to the Charizard, than he was the mission to Bilgewater.