Chapter two has been updated and is ready to post! Any constructive criticism is very much appreciated and will be used to improve later chapters.
Enjoy! ^_^
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Chapter Two
Encounters: Part I
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“This sucks.”
The turquoise-haired executive gave a heavy sigh as he and his nine companions continued to track their quarry, who had once again given them the slip, in a giant forest of all places. It wasn’t the wooded area’s enormous size, or the fact that a terrible storm was moving closer to their current positions, but it was the region.
“Of all the places it could’a gone, it had to go here...” Though this was his first time ever in Hoenn, he couldn’t possibly care any less about the beautiful forest that he and his teammates were currently exploring. The flashlight in his right hand swept slowly across the forest floor, while his eyes followed the illuminated areas, searching for any signs of their prey. They had been trailing the damn thing for over four hours and had cornered it on several occasions, but it still had managed to slither out of their grasp every time.
Suddenly, a loud cracking sound from behind startled him out of his reverie, causing him to stumble forward a few feet and land face-first into the ground. He laid there for a few seconds, not quite knowing what had transpired in the moments prior that left him laying prone.
The sound of light and graceful footsteps coming closer to his head filled his ears. Slowly, he forced his head up and saw a pair of boots. Only then did he realize that the back of his cranium hurt. As he extended his gaze upwards, the sight of his beautiful partner’s legs and skirt filled his eyes, along with...
“Quit your daydreaming and get a move on.” Cassidy’s petite frame stood in front of him as he began to push himself up, his eyes never wavering, and his lips creased into a smile. “That Latias couldn’t have gone much further with its injuries.” He stopped rising and grinned at his partner from his position on the ground as she continued to talk. “But with that invisibility trick it’ll only get harder to actually...” She finally noticed his smirk. “What’re you grinning at?”
“Pink.”
“Huh?”
Butch’s eyes twinkled mischievously as he laid on the ground belly down, his head propped up by his right arm, and his hand on his chin, “You always told me you hated the color pink.” Cassidy was completely confused at the comment he stated.
Why did he bring such a stupid subject up in the middle of a mission so important, that their very lives depended on the outcome?
Her perplexed reaction caused Butch’s smile to widen. “I never thought I’d ever see you wear something pink.”
What the hell is he talking about? The only thing pink that I’m wearing is...
A blush formed across her face along the bridge of her nose as she realized the view her teammate had, and why he had made no further attempt to get up. She then brought her heel down on the top of her partner’s skull resulting in a second cracking sound, and a large lump to form on Butch’s head.
She turned around and began to march off. “Pervert.” As she walked towards the rest of the team, she quickly began to adjust her skirt.
Not far from the bizarre scene between teammates, a pair of golden eyes watched wearily from behind a small bush. Her red and white body, once radiant and spotless, was now littered with scratches and soiled with dried blood. Most of it her own. Her wings drooped low to the ground as she tried to quietly regain her breath. A small black satchel with a red “R” in the center was strapped across her from the right shoulder to her left side. This was what they were after. This was what she fought so hard to protect. This was why she ran.
The Soul Dew. The jewel that had become the fate of her brother, her father, and her father’s father.
She had to protect it. No matter what happened to her. But how will she get away? She didn’t even have the energy to hide herself. She knew that she couldn’t do it alone. The only thing she could do was wait. Wait for the right moment to escape.
One of the large beams of light from her pursuers swept slowly across her hiding spot, causing her to crouch lower to the ground and squeeze her eyes shut.
Please don’t let them find me...
The sound of an opening Pokéball brought her attention towards her left. When she turned her head to locate the source of the noise, a massive yellow beam of concentrated energy slammed into her side, causing her to cry out, and forced her to tumble out into the open to avoid the full power of the attack.
“Now!”
Fear filled her heart as she skidded to a stop in front of her pursuers. These humans already found her hiding spot, and she was much too tired to move immediately.
Upon seeing the injured Latias finally in the open, they quickly began to execute their plan. Four of the TR members fired a small sharp dart attached to a long string that was connected to their large flashlights. As they struck the exhausted Pokémon, Latias winced at the pain that they again inflicted on her. Soon, a quiet buzzing sound was emitted from each flashlight, causing Latias to cry out once again as she felt electricity pouring into her already weakened body. After only a few seconds of enduring the assault, Latias collapsed, her energy completely spent.
Cassidy noticed this and raised her hand, ordering the Rockets to stop. “That’s enough.” The grunts released their grips on the small button that had fired the darts, and the buzzing ceased. One of the four recalled the exhausted Raticate that was used to flush it out back into its Pokéball. Latias let out a weak cry as her eyes gazed fearfully at the human woman that cautiously approached her.
How could she possibly get away? She didn’t have enough energy to break free. Her mind began to wander the more she tried to think. She was in too much pain to think clearly.
Cassidy stopped only a meter away from the injured Eon Pokémon. She shook her head in disbelief upon seeing its condition, her hands on her hips. “I can’t believe that this little thing gave us so much trouble.” She crouched down by bringing her legs to her chest and balancing on the heels of her feet, staring it in the eyes.
One of the grunts began to protest against her actions. “Uhm, Miss Cassidy? I don’t know how to say this, but shouldn’t we take it to the boss instead of just standing here?” A large trickle of sweat ran down the back of his head upon seeing the look of death his leader gave him. “Or maybe not...”
Butch smirked, “Don’t worry about her Steve.” He placed a hand on his teammate’s shoulder. “She’s just sitting like that to hide the color of her...” His sentence was cut short by a large rock that connected with his skull.
“Quit while you’re ahead.” Cassidy was once again standing up facing her team, and this time, tossing a large rock from hand to hand in a menacing manner. “Why should we go through all the trouble of hauling it back to the boss, only to have it die?” She turned to face the Pokémon again and tossed the rock aside. “Our mission is to retake the jewel that it stole from us. Nothing more.”
Latias watched as the vicious woman crouched down and extended her right hand towards the small pouch at her side. Panic welled up deep inside her. This is all she had left of her brother, and she wasn’t about to let anyone take it without a fight.
With the intense act of aggression only seen from a wounded Pokémon, Latias dug her teeth deep into Cassidy’s arm.
Cassidy, not expecting such an action, shrieked in both pain and surprise as the Eon Pokémon clamped down with all the energy it could muster. Her left arm went wild as it moved up and down at a ridiculous speed, as if it would do any good to help her current situation. “Get it off me!” Cassidy’s rational mind decided to take a vacation as she issued an order she would later regret. “Hit it with another pulse!”
“But Ma’am...”
“NOW!”
Shrugging, the TR grunts pressed the buttons and the buzzing sound resumed. Electricity poured from the flashlights into both Latias and Cassidy. The scream that had suddenly risen a few decibels was proof. Butch sighed and placed a hand over his face. “She should have seen that one coming.” He then quickly turned to the four grunts, “Turn it off and remove the darts.”
The grunts were nervous. If they were to fail in this mission, many dire consequences were sure to follow. “But what about the...”
“Don’t worry about the mission. I gave you an order.” His underlings hastily complied.
When the electricity finally stopped, Latias let go of Cassidy’s arm, cried out quietly in pain and fear, and backed a few feet away from her attackers. Cassidy, on the other hand, hit the ground on her back completely unconscious. The small darts were removed from a distance by the grunts, causing the Pokémon to flinch in both pain and relief, as Butch hauled his cataleptic partner to safety. One of the low-rank TR members built up enough courage to question his commanding executive. “Sir? Why did you want to remove the darts for the pulse guns?”
Butch propped Cassidy’s head on a Rocket supply bag, and tenderly removed long white glove to begin treatment on the wound just below her elbow. He spoke quietly without even looking up from his work. “Look at the Latias.”
The grunt turned his gaze from his leaders to the Pokémon they had been pursuing. It was curled up slightly, ever watchful of those around it. "What about it?"
Butch began to dig in his supply bag and eventually pulled out a small med kit. “It’s too weak to fly, and too tired to escape." He began to clean the bitten area with iodine and gauze. "But it's obvious that it'll kill itself protecting the jewel. When a Pokémon is hurt as badly as that one is, they tend to be much more violent and less concerned over their own health." When he finished wrapping Cassidy's arm, he turned and faced his comrades while still sitting on the ground. "All we need to do is confine it without killing it. We have one cage with us, and we’ll get a bonus if we bring it back alive. Besides, the Pokémon will protect the jewel for us, so we don’t have to.” Butch then stood up proudly awaiting praise from his comrades.
The grunts, despite cringing at his horrendous voice, marveled at their leader’s intellect. One of them decided to voice his astonishment in a very stupid manner, “Wow, you are smart!”
At that remark, Butch lost all sense of balance and planted his face deep into the ground.
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“Here are your Pokémon Ash.”
Nurse Joy smiled sweetly as she approached the young trainer from his chair in front of the desk and handed him four pokéballs. Ash smiled wearily in return as he stood up and accepted them. “Thanks.” His movements to place each ball on his belt were uncharacteristically slow, even for Ash. But he knew if he moved too quickly, Nurse Joy would notice that he didn’t feel quite right.
Nurse Joys are too perceptive.
Each simple motion amplified the dull aching in his head, causing him to wince on the inside. Though he did try not to let it show on his face. Once all of his Pokémon were in their places, he extended his arms and gently took his sleeping friend from the nurse’s arms. Pikachu’ sleeping form stirred as Ash cradled him and looked up at his trainer, pain clearly evident on his furry little face. “Pikapi...” His body began to tremble slightly as he let out a tiny “Chaaa” of pain.
Ash, forgetting about hiding his headache, grew increasingly concerned by his small friend’s odd behavior. “Pikachu?” He turned his head to the woman who treated Pikachu, “Nurse Joy, what’s wrong with him?” His face showed great concern, as well as incredible discomfort. “Pikachu’s hurting!” Before Nurse Joy could even respond, an explosion of intense pain wracked his head, driving him to his knees. He sat there while still holding his friend, trying to regain his bearings, with no reaction to the nurse’s panicked voice.
“Young man! Are you alright?” Nurse Joy was on her knees as well, trying to elicit a response, ANY response, from the trainer from Kanto who collapsed before her. Her hands were placed on his shoulders in an attempt to keep him from falling over. “Mr. Ketchum! Please, Say something!” His face was contorted in pain, and his breathing was coming out in ragged gasps, which only proceeded to worry her more. She pulled him into a partial embrace and turned her head in the direction of the Intensive Care section. “Chansey! Quickly, I need a stretcher for a Pikachu and his trainer, Stat!”
“I’m fine...”
Nurse Joy gasped at Ash’s words as he slowly pulled himself away from her and tried to stand. She again held his shoulders firmly as she spoke, fear clearly evident in her voice, “Wait! You need to sit down!” The teenager merely shrugged and pulled himself from her grasp, and stood with a slight slouch.
Ash carefully placed the whimpering Pikachu in her arms and leaned against the nearest wall. “Could you check Pikachu out again?” His voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. He turned his back to her and walked off, his steps unsteady. “I gotta go to the bathroom.” Nurse Joy could only watch helplessly as he stumbled down the hallway towards the restrooms.
“Chan-sey?”
The Pokémon nurse glanced beside her. Chansey stood beside her with a large stretcher and a confused look on her face. Smiling sadly, she sat Pikachu on the stretcher and placed a gentle hand on Chansey’s shoulder to get her attention. “Thank you, Chansey. Please take the Pikachu to ICU.” She then looked back in the direction Ash had left.
I hope he’s alright.
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Ash stumbled into the bathroom and dropped to his knees after he closed the door. He seized his head with his hands and drew a sharp intake of breath. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut as tiny droplets of water began to form along his brow. The pain was intensifying and he didn’t know how much longer he could take it. It felt like someone was tearing him apart from the inside. And it was getting worse, much worse. He had to get out of there. He needed to run. He wanted to hide somewhere and die so no one could find...
What am I thinking?
And as quickly as it had begun, it stopped. The pain... The throbbing... The pulsing... All gone. His labored breathing and sweaty brow was the only evidence of the previous moments. Slowly, he grabbed a hold of the sink and pulled himself to his feet once more. As he stared ahead, his pale reflection stared back from the confines of the mirror in front of him.
What just happened?
Frustrated, he turned on the water and splashed his face trying to calm himself down. As the cold water struck his face, a memory entered his mind. The recollection of the cool water and hot competitions of the Toure de Altomare flashed through his mind, and brought a tiny smile to his face. How he missed the people and Pokémon he met there. Lorenzo, who had more skills than a Sharpedo had teeth, and Bianca, who’s talents as an artist went unrivaled... If you didn’t count Latias, that is.
Latias.
He remembered her well. She was such a gorgeous and talented Pokémon. Not only could she transform her body into that of a human, but as a human she could easily paint and draw as well as Bianca. Her hands were gentle and delicate, like a child’s, yet they held such great talent and power. As a Pokémon, her hands were shaped differently, yet they still felt so soft and fragile. Her hair, soft as silk and a stunning dark golden brown. Her eyes, though a bright gold as a Pokémon and chocolate brown when human, never really changed. They were always so full of life and emotion that Ash could always tell just by gazing into them.
Then there was her skin.
The touch of her skin was so supple, so tender. Never had he felt something so beautiful in his entire life. Ash turned off the water and brought his hand to his lips. He also remembered the kiss she gave him. He gave a sigh at the memory. The feel of her lips against his was like nothing he had ever felt before. Melody’s kiss just couldn’t compare.
He could feel the heat of his cheeks as he began to blush at the thought. The memories of the gentle caress of her hand across his cheek, her scent of flowers kissed by the morning dew as she hugged him tight, the tears that were shed upon his shoulder over the loss of her beloved brother... He remembered them well.
His heart ached deeply for every teardrop of loss that cascaded down her angelic face as she grieved with Ash. Often he’d ask himself why she cried with him and not Bianca and Lorenzo. To him, it just didn’t make any sense. She knew them for so long, yet she wanted to shed her tears with him and only him. For three days, he spent every waking moment with her. Sitting in the tree her brother loved so dear, walking through the city hand-in-hand, sleeping under the protective shade of the trees...
Sighing, he tried to compose himself before leaving the bathroom. He grabbed a nearby towel and dried his face before lifting his head to again look at his reflection in the mirror. When his eyes gazed at the reflective glass surface, Ash stepped back and gasped at what he saw before him.
In the mirror, overshadowing his own face, was a burning city.
Massive explosions ripped through the reflection and the billowing flames erupted high into the sky, illuminating the surrounding areas. Two colossal pillars nearby seemed to literally explode at the base, sending water and rocks flying everywhere, causing Ash to recoil in shock. And in a terrifying display of destruction, the mighty columns descended upon a tiny bridge full of many terrified inhabitants, silencing every one. As he stared at the frightening scene, the images began to wrap around him, pulling him in. The heat enveloped him. The sounds engulfed him. Panic filled his heart as he recognized this place he now stood. No longer was he in the Pokémon Center. No longer was he in the Hoenn region.
It can’t be...
Blazing fire scorched the rocks and burned the wood of each building, destroying everything in its path. People ran screaming for help, while others grabbed buckets of water to try and douse the intense flames. A crack of thunder, and a person fell. Several more claps of thunder, and more people collapsed. Several figures rushed out from the shadows into the open towards the bodies. They were wearing all black with the exception of a giant red “R” adorned upon their chests. Ash’s eyes widened.
Team Rocket.
One of the people who had collapsed was still moving, trying to crawl away from her pursuers. Wait, he recognized that girl! He tried to run, to call out to her, but he couldn’t move. The TR member slowly approached her victim and placed a heavy boot on her back to stop her escape. She then raised her right hand slightly, which held a small metal object, pointed it at the pleading girl, and pulled the trigger. The sound of thunder echoed through the room as the girl’s head snapped back in an unnatural position, causing her artist’s cap to fall to the ground.
At the sight of such horror, Ash turned his head away from the sight in shock and disgust. His hand was placed on his throat, and his breathing had become slightly ragged. Could this really be Altomare? Or was he just losing his mind? Hesitantly, he again took in his surroundings. He was once again in the Pokémon Center public bathroom. He had to get out of there before something else happened. Stepping out of the lavatory and dashing off, he nearly bumped into Nurse Joy in his haste.
“Ash!” The Pokémon nurse sighed in relief upon seeing the young trainer no longer showing signs of pain. “Are you feeling better?” Ash merely nodded, trying to avoid eye contact. “You had me very worried...”She noticed that he was very pale. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
Ash nodded again, and this time spoke without even thinking. “Nurse Joy, I think I’m gonna go for a short walk. I need some air.”
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It had been 30 minutes since the emergency evacuation order. Giovanni sat on a plush leather seat next to Domino and one other Executive as his personal helicopter rose high above the ocean surface, while quietly watching the prisoner they had brought aboard. The prisoner, whose hands were once tied tightly with rope, spoke not a word, while his attention was outside the window looking at what was left of his home. His bald head was littered with cuts and bruises, and despite the lack of major injuries, his white beard was stained a deep red with blood. He just sat there, not saying a word.
Fifteen minutes of this would get just about anyone annoyed. Domino was no exception. Her teeth ground together as she gripped the hem of her skirt tightly. She turned her head to face her boss and spoke quietly, “ Sir do you want me to get him to talk?”
Giovanni turned his attention to his special agent. “009. You will not speak again unless spoken to.” Domino quietly complied and went back to grinding her teeth, while the TR leader once again focused on the man before him. For another five minutes, not a word was spoken. Finally, Giovanni addressed the gondola designer. “Are you finished mourning for your granddaughter, Mr. Montaire?”
The old man looked at his captor with disgust and confusion, “What?”
Giovanni smiled. “Lorenzo Montaire. Born August 12th, 1935. Graduated high school at the age of 16 with highest honors. At the age of 18, you joined the military. By the time of your 25th birthday, you had already received the rank of Colonel. You eventually left the military and graduated from Altomare University at the top of your class. You have majors in archeology, art, chemistry, history, literature, mechanical engineering, and you are a natural in woodworking. You were married February 23rd, 1968 and had one child. Your son also graduated from Altomare University with a major in avionics. He was married July 3rd, 1988 and had one child, your only granddaughter Bianca.”
His hard gaze pierced the old man’s defenses like a hot knife through butter. Before Lorenzo could utter any type of response, the Viridian Gym Leader again began to speak. “Bianca Montaire. Her parents died in a plane crash six years ago during a trip to the Orange Islands, so the young orphan was placed under the loving care of her grandfather.” He spoke with a mocking, yet elegant tone in his voice as he continued. “You nurtured her natural gift of drawing, and she soon became known as one of the greatest young artists of today.”
Lorenzo stared at Giovanni in shock. After he finally found his voice, he spoke in a hoarse whisper, “How do you know...”
“So much about you?” The TR leader’s voice boomed over Lorenzo’s, causing him to flinch. “You wish to know where I received this information?” Sweat began to trickle down the aging man’s forehead as his captor stood up and approached him. “Do you really wish to know?” He grabbed the senior by his collar and pulled him to his feet. “Why should I disclose such information to you?”
Lorenzo was rooted in front of the gentleman in fear and hatred. His legs were shaking uncontrollably as he stood in this taller man’s evil presence. He glared at the Boss with all the anger he could muster at the moment, “What do you want from me? You have the Soul Dew, Altomare is gone, and you... You!” His fear began to melt away as anger again filled every fiber of his being. “ What do you want with me! TELL ME!” Tears were freely flowing from his eyes now as he knocked the TR leader’s hand away from his collar and grabbed the front of his orange suit. “Who are you!”
Giovanni’s eyes narrowed as a slender smile formed across his face, “I am the one who can, and will, rule the world.”
Lorenzo stared at the man before in disbelief. Rule the world? What kind of crazy idea was that? “You’re insane!”
The well-dressed gentleman’s left eye began to twitch, yet he continued speaking as if he hadn't heard anything his victim said, “You will listen to me Mr. Montaire. I want all the information that you have about the Soul Dew, and you will tell me everything.” His right hand suddenly lashed out and grasped Lorenzo’s throat, slamming his victim into the wall of the ever-spacious helicopter. “If... you wish to live.”
The gentle hands of the gondola designer were desperately trying to free the man from this death-grip, though he knew it was futile. His eyes were squeezed shut in pain as his breath was severely restricted. He eventually managed to choke out a few words to his captor, “I won’t tell you slime anything.” He opened his eyes and glared weakly at Giovanni. “You have no idea what kind of power you’re dealing with! It’s far too dangerous!”
A look of shock spread itself over the Boss’s face, “What do you mean, ‘Far too dangerous’?” He dropped the man unceremoniously onto the floor. As the old man took several gasps of breath of precious air, Giovanni took a few steps back and pulled a small gun from the inside of his suit jacket. While pressing the shiny silver barrel against the top of his victim’s skull, the great Leader of TR growled. “Are you saying that I cannot control its power?”
“...”
In anger, he cocked the hammer and roared at the hostage, “Answer me!”
“... Yes.” Lorenzo sighed as he sat on the floor awaiting his end to come. “The Soul Dew’s power was not given to you, therefore you cannot use it.” He moved his head and glared directly into the eyes of his captor. “Go ahead and shoot me if you want. It won’t change a thing.”
Giovanni’s enraged appearance quickly melted away to reveal an unsettling thin smile. As his gun was once again placed in its holster in his orange suit jacket, he spoke quietly “You are a strong man, Mr. Montaire.” He turned his back to the man on the floor. “I, however, do not have the time to play such trivial mind games.” His attention was now focused on his two underlings in front of him, “Basho. 009.” Both elite members got up from their seats and stood at attention. “Please show Mr. Montaire the way out.”
Domino smiled, “With pleasure.” She turned to the white haired executive now known to her as Basho, “I’ll handle him.” He didn’t even acknowledge her presence, though he did sit back down. Shrugging, she strode over to Lorenzo, bent down, and placed a hand on his cheek while smiling viciously. “Don’t worry, old man. You’ll get to see your little granddaughter very soon.” She grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked him to his feet. “Unless, of course, you can fly.” His eyes were downcast and he showed no sign of resistance as they walked towards the “exit”. This was quickly getting boring, so she decided to spice things up a bit. Turning to look at her captive, she spoke in a quiet, mocking tone, “Ya know, she begged for her life before she died.”
Lorenzo’s eyes opened wide and looked directly at his executioner’s face. His voice was once again barely above a whisper, “What did you say?”
Agent 009 smirked at his response. Now things were about to get interesting. “Come to think of it, she should have died from the first shot, but because she didn’t, I had to finish her off... “ She brought her lips within an inch of his ear and whispered with a chilling quality, “Point blank. Execution style.” Anger once again poured deep into his veins, giving him a newfound strength.
A reason to fight.
As the door of the helicopter opened, a mighty wind rushed through the chopper, whipping across everything within, as the interior was quickly depressurized. When his captor attempted to push him to his doom, Lorenzo suddenly grabbed Domino’s wrist and twisted until her grip on him was lost. He then brought his elbow crashing into her face, sending her tumbling away from the door and smashing into the opposite wall.
The emotionless executive began to stand, but was stopped by the hand of his leader, “Leave her be.” Giovanni watched the fight with extreme interest. “I believe she said that she could handle him.” His smile never wavered, “Let us see if it is true.”
Dashing forward with speed defying his age and weight, the gondola designer closed the distance between him and his target, and continued his attack with a powerful jump kick. Domino, though dazed from his dominating blow, saw his next with barely enough time to react by rolling to the left. The clang of his foot striking metal reverberated throughout the helicopter despite its lush interior.
She jumped to her feet, only to be struck in the throat by a knife hand strike. She again hit the wall, this time while holding her throat and gasping for breath. Lorenzo quickly retreated a few steps, and brought his right foot up in a roundhouse kick against the side of her head. This blow sent her face slamming into the floor with such force, the helicopter jolted hard to the right for a few moments before righting itself.
He wasn’t going to give her a chance to move. This was where he ended it. Bringing his right foot up, this time in preparation for an ax kick, he swung downwards, his heel aiming for the back of her neck.
“Persian.”
Before Lorenzo’s kick could connect, something large and furry struck him hard against his chest, sending him careening into the wall next to the open door. When he struck, he could not only feel, but also hear the breaking of a rib or two.
Giovanni walked slowly to the old man who laid in a heap near the door. “Mr. Montaire. You surprise me.” His Persian sat down beside the unconscious woman as he made his way towards the injured veteran. “I never knew that you were a martial arts master.” He grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to the exit. “Though I truly doubt that it matters now. Goodbye Mr. Montaire.” With a mighty swing, Lorenzo was thrown from the chopper to plummet to his home and his grave that now rested beneath the ocean.
“Bianca...”
Giovanni closed the door and walked quickly towards his fallen agent. Without taking his eyes off the unconscious Domino, he spoke towards the other executive who was still sitting in his seat, “Basho, bring the med kit. It is in the cockpit with the pilot.” He waited until his underling left and gathered her up in his arms. As he laid her across the flat seats, he brushed a lock of hair off of her face, “You still have a great deal of training to do, my dear Domino.”
....nah, just kidding. Just update some, OK?