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Jessie closed her eyes and listened to the beeping of the machines around her. They were all set in different keys and all beeped at different times and speeds, creating an atrocious cacophony that was painful to the ears. Listening to it for only a short while was already giving her a headache.
"How can you stand this, Kytty?" she asked her friend, sitting up to look at her. Kytty glared at her from underneath a pile of wires and tubes. Her face was very pale and there were dark circles under her eyes, but that didn't matter to Jessie. All that mattered was her friend was alive.
"I cain't stand it," she snapped her voice raspy. She shifted positions and one of the machines started beeping angrily at her. Reaching out her hand, she smacked the offending piece of equipment, silencing it. "I want you guys to bust me outta here!" she growled. "I HATE hospitals!"
Sorry, Kytty," Reece piped with a smile, not looking in her direction. Her eyes were glued to the television set hanging above Kytty's bed. She was watching some science fiction space drama. "You can't leave for at least another two weeks. Doctor's orders."
Think of it as a free vacation," Jessie offered, adjusting her friend's blanket.
"I don't want a free vacation! I want a paid vacation," Kytty replied. She looked at the ceiling and closed her eyes. "A paid vacation to Khaki Beach with the waves crashin' on the shore and the men runnin' 'round in very little..." She grinned and winked at Jessie who smiled and shook her head in return. Suddenly, Kytty's expression got serious. "Say, who's lookin' after my Ponyta Ranch?"
"Gengiess convinced Spunks to do it," Jessie said. Kytty sighed.
"I miss my babies. But I guess I'll be spending plenty a' time with 'em," she said as she scratched at the bandages on her stomach. "The Boss probably won't let me back on duty for a while."
"I should say not!" Jessie exclaimed. "You've earned a break!"
"Are you getting a vacation?"
Jessie sniffed and shook her head. "No way. Never any rest for the weary, right?"
"I'm still really confused as ta' what happened. Why was Michael there? What was going on? Why did they want him?"
Jessie sighed and sat back in the chair. "It's kind of a long story," she began hesitantly.
"I'm not going anywhere," Kytty retorted.
"Yeah, and I want to know what was going on, too," Reece interjected, turning to face Jessie. "I knew Michael was what we were after, but I never really knew why."
Jessie sighed again. "Okay, but it's a long story. You see, I came from a really poor family. We never really had much to eat and my father ran out on Mom and me when I was two. I always felt like a burden to my mother so when I was six, I decided to run away."
"Six?" Kytty asked, incredulous.
"Yep," Jessie nodded. "Six. I was doing pretty well on my own until one day, almost two years later, I was picked up by a couple of guys. I didn't know at the time that they were Team Rocket operatives. Apparently, the same thing happened to James, although he ran away because of that whole messy fiancé thing."
"What 'fiancé thing?'" asked Reece.
"You can let James explain that one to you," Jessie replied with a smile. "I really don't remember what happened when I was picked up by Team Rocket. I guess they did some tests of some kind and discovered something... unique about James and I. You see, we're psionics."
Reece's eyes went wide. "You mean you can use telepathy and stuff like those people in Saffron City?"
"Funny you should mention them. That's important, too, but to answer your question, yes and no." Jessie took a deep breath before continuing. "You see, James and I were very, very strong psionics. Strong beyond anything anyone could imagine. Team Rocket was intrigued by this strength and wanted to utilize it in their organization. They were also concerned about it. They feared our powers might be too strong for own good - that the power might be more than we could handle. Apparently, James and I were already starting to show signs of a psionic condition called Selective Psionic Intro-Autism, or SPIA."
Kytty sighed and rubbed her temples. "I'm on morphine, Jessie. No big words please."
"I know what it is!" returned Reece. "It's where children with strong psionic powers start to lose touch with the real world, they get so caught up in the mental one. They stop talking to people, shelter themselves, and become totally obsessed with mastering their powers. If it goes untreated, the kid can be screwed up for life."
"So you end up with a crazy super powered kid?" Kytty asked. Jessie nodded.
"That's right. And that's why Saffron City is so interesting. The gym leader there, Sabrina, had a severe case of SPIA. Luckily, she did manage to recover from it."
"So how did Team Rocket manage to keep you two from slipping into SPIA?" Reece asked, leaning forward in her chair.
"They put what they call a 'cap' on our psionic powers," Jessie explained. "They locked them away and were planning on reintroducing them to us when we were older and could handle them better. That's why we were sent to live with Remear--" Jessie stopped and swallowed hard, her eyes filling with tears. She blinked them back hurriedly, Kytty resting a reassuring hand on her knee. Jessie nodded once and smiled. "They sent us to live with Remear," she continued, "so that he could keep and eye on us and start training us. Remear was really gung-ho about us developing to our full potential. He made sure we studied hard and went far beyond a standard education. When Team Rocket showed up around our sixteenth birthday, James and I were basically forced into the organization."
"Forced how?" interrupted Reece.
Jessie shrugged. "I was getting bored with our school and things like that. I probably would have joined up if they had come right out and asked me. James wouldn't have, though. He still had dreams about going back to his parents someday. They basically told us that if we joined, James would get to meet his little brother, where as if we didn't, James and I would most likely be killed because we knew too much. They didn't say that, but James and I figured it out pretty easily."
"Now that's what I don't understand," Kytty said suddenly. "Why does Team Rocket have Michael at all? I thought James was an only child."
"Well," Jessie began uncomfortably, "that's kinda the whole problem. You see, Michael isn't James' brother. He's sorta... our son."
"WHAT?!?!?" Kytty and Reece cried in unison. "Jessie, you sly dog," Kytty said with a wink as Reece just looked at her dumbfounded. "I can't believe you never told us!"
"Oh, don't be stupid, Kit," Jessie retorted with mock anger. "Michael was born when I was ten. Do you really think James and I were fooling around when we were ten years old?"
"Oh, ick," Reece said shaking her head. Kytty laughed and Jessie rolled her eyes.
"Michael was genetically engineered by Team Rocket from mine and James' DNA," she clarified. "I'm afraid he wasn't brought into this world in any way that would interest your perverted mind, Kytty Enuud." Kytty stuck out her tongue at Jessie, a gesture she returned.
"Wait a minute," Reece said suddenly. "So, if you're Michael's mommy and James is Michael's daddy, then he must have inherited your strong psionic powers!"
"He's stronger, actually," Jessie replied. "Almost four years ago, the Dark Defiers broke into the Team Rocket database and discovered Michael's abilities. They didn't get all the information - they didn't know James and I were his biological parents. They did, however, discover where he was living and with whom."
"Michael must have been living with Team Rocket members," Kytty said. Jessie nodded.
"He was. They were planning on killing the foster parents, but Michael was accidentally got caught in the blaze as well. They thought he was dead. They only discovered he was alive a few months ago and they also realized who his parents were. When they came to get us, they found only Remear and they..." Jessie shook her head and all three of them fell silent.
"So," Reece began after a moment, breaking the silence, "wasn't Michael capped as well so he wouldn't develop SPIA?" she asked. "It seems if his powers were that strong then he would be even more prone to it than you and James. He seems like a normal healthy boy."
"That's right, Reece," Jessie acknowledged. "He was capped. Unfortunately, Team Rocket still underestimated his potential. The cap wasn't strong enough. After the fire, the cap began degrading even farther. Of course, no one realized it. All of these years, the reason he couldn't get well..." Jessie looked up at the ceiling for a moment and chuckled. "Oh God Kytty, Reece - He's an empath!"
"An empath?" Kytty echoed, confused. Reece sucked in a breath and shook her head.
"You mean the whole reason Michael never recovered was because he was in a hospital full of sick children and was empathizing with their illnesses?" she asked in disbelief.
Jessie nodded, a sardonic smile on her face. "Ironic, isn't it?" She sighed. After a moment of silence, she looked over at her friends. "Well, that's basically the whole story. James and I have been jerked around by Team Rocket since we were eight. There's not much else to tell."
"So, what are you going ta tell Michael?" Kytty asked. "I mean, if I were him, findin' out my brother is my father and my brother/father's girlfriend was my mother would be a bit of a shock, 'specially after all the Defier crap."
Jessie reached her hands behind her head and stretched. "James and I have talked it over. We're not going to tell him anything. He loved his foster parents like real parents. Heck, for all he knows, they were his real parents. We both think it's better that he keep believing what he's always known. James will always be his brother. I will always be the older sister he never had. It'll work that way."
"What about his abilities? What about yours?" Reece asked, her voice filled with concern.
"We're bringing somebody in to help Michael master his new skill. A tutor, of sorts. Hopefully, he'll be well enough go home in a few months. I don't know what we're going to do with him, though," Jessie said softly. "Originally, James and I had planned for Remear to take care of him if he was ever well enough to leave the hospital. We'll figure something out. As for James and I..." Jessie shrugged. "We haven't decided what to do about our powers."
"What's ta decide?" cried Kytty. "You've got incredible abilities and you need to hone them. I cain't believe you two blew up that Defier facility. With that kinda power..." Kytty closed her eyes for a minute. "With that kind of power, you and James could be rich beyond your wildest dreams, do anything you want in life, anything! Why hell, you could even run The Organization outside of a week!"
Jessie smiled sadly and looked out the window. "Actually, James and I were considering having ourselves surgically altered to remove our psionic abilities."
"You can't be serious!" exclaimed Reece. "Why would you do something like that?"
Jessie looked carefully at her friends. "I'm just not very... comfortable with this power. Neither is James. We've both been living with the cap for so long, it just doesn't seem natural. Neither of us has really broken our caps. We've only gained a miniscule fraction of the power that we truly possess and even that much scares the hell out of me."
"Well, of course it does!" Kytty replied. "You never even guessed you were a psionic! I'm sure nobody could have even imagined that your lives would take this kind of turn! If I were you, I'd take sometime to try out having this power around you. Maybe you'll get used to it. I mean, if you really hate it, you can always get the surgery done. Ya never know 'til you try!"
"Yeah!" Reece added. "I'm sure the surgery doesn't work both ways. You should just allow yourself to get used to it."
Jessie smiled and nodded. "You guys are probably right. It's just... everything is changing so fast. I feel like I'm getting swept away!" Jessie let out an exasperated sigh and stood up, pacing around the room. Kytty watched her for a moment, an evil twinkle gracing her eye.
"What you need is something ta bring you back down ta Earth. Something completely natural and refreshing," she offered, a smile touching her lips.
"Oh? Like what? Another secret mission?" Jessie scoffed. "No thank you. I think I've had enough of those."
"Actually, I was thinkin' along the lines of you and James needing a good healthy roll in the sheets," Kytty replied with a wink. "So, what's he really like, Jess?" Reece slammed her hands over her ears and stood up, starting to head out the door.
"I am too young to be hearing this!" she stated firmly, walking in the hallway. Behind her, Jessie and Kytty started laughing.
"Right Doc," James replied, sitting in an overstuffed chair next to Michael's hospital bed. Docker nodded at him and walked out the door. James turned to Michael. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Michael sighed and looked around the room. It wasn't nearly as sterile as a normal hospital room. There were tons of flowers, cards and balloons - someone had even gone so far as to hang curtains over his window. He smiled lightly as he watched his pikato bound after an imaginary demon, his little wings fluttering and carrying him off the ground. Soon, he would be able to fly.
"I guess so," he said after a moment. "I've felt worse."
"I wasn't referring to your physical health, Mikey," James replied. He was dressed in street clothes and still looked very tired from his ordeal. Michael looked down at the bed, studying the sheets with renewed interest.
"Yeah," he said, looking up at James. "I'm alright. To be honest, I thought it was kinda fun." Michael laughed and James was forced to smile. "I mean, I never get out of this hospital, James."
"I know," James said softly looking out the window. "But soon you'll be well. Being in the isolation ward will help you recover much faster. Docker says in a few months, you might be able to leave this hospital for good."
"Where am I going to go?" Michael asked, slightly nervous. His pikato hopped on the bed and curled up on his chest letting out a big yawn. It curled into a ball and promptly fell asleep. James smiled at it.
"I don't know, Michael. I don't think it's safe for you to live with Jessie and me," James answered. "Not that we wouldn't mind having you, of course," he added hurriedly, but Michael just waved him off.
"I understand, James. Your work is dangerous - you're always telling me that. I would definitely be in the way. Even when I do get better, I'm still not going to be very strong." He looked down at his legs, covered by his bed sheets. "Docker still doesn't think I'll be able to walk on my own without a crutch of some kind." James nodded, silence falling between them.
"They didn't... hurt you at all, did they Michael?" James asked, his voice heavy with concern. Michael smiled and shook his head.
"No. They really treated me pretty well. They fed me better than they ever have at this hospital." James grinned at this.
"Well, the food here is pretty bad, from what I've had of it," he replied.
Michael shrugged. "It's like any other poison. You build up a tolerance to it over time." Michael swallowed hard and looked down at his pikato. He was silent for a minute. "I wish I could have gone to Remear's funeral," he said quietly, not looking up to meet James' eyes.
"It was beautiful," James returned. He got up out of his chair and sat on the bed next to Michael. He put his arms around the boy's shoulders and drew him close in a semi-hug. Michael turned and buried his head in James' chest, trying not to let himself cry. James leaned down and kissed the top of Michael's head.
"I love you, little brother," James said gently.
"Good work, Meowth," the boss replied. "This is excellent. I wish we had known about the boy's empathic abilities earlier. We could have saved him a lot of grief by isolating him in a private hospital years ago." Giovanni shrugged evenly and dropped the papers back on his desk. "That's all I need, Meowth. I'll contact you soon with the next job. You're dismissed." Meowth looked down at the floor, but didn't make any motion to leave. "Is there something else?" Giovanni asked, cocking an eyebrow at him. Meowth sighed.
"How can they ever trust me again, Boss?" the cat pokémon asked quietly. "Jessie and James gave me their trust and I betrayed them."
"You didn't betray them, Meowth. If anyone did, it was I. You and those two kids have been friends for almost five years now. Now that their powers are emerging, they're going to need you more than ever." Giovanni stood up and began to pace the room. "You did the right thing. If James had known it was Michael, he would have gone berserk and probably gotten himself and a number of other people killed. We were lucky there were no casualties."
"Except for Remear," Meowth replied, his voice icy. Giovanni stopped his methodic pacing and stared out the large window behind his desk.
"Yes. Except for Remear." Givoanni took a deep breath. "Remear was a good man, Meowth. I meant every word I said at his funeral two days ago. He was part of the strong foundation this organization was built on. He helped me get my start in Team Rocket. I doubt I could have become The Boss without his guidance. I'll miss him."
"So will I, sir," Meowth said softly. Giovanni didn't turn around. Stifling another sigh, Meowth turned and walked silently out of the office.
"How is he?" she asked softly, cringing slightly as her voice cut through the evening like a knife. James rested his arm on her shoulder and pulled her close.
"Okay. Better than me, I think." He leaned down and kissed the top of Jessie's head. "He's a fighter - always has been. He'll be all right. How's Kytty?" Jessie shrugged.
"She looks like Hell, but her spirit is strong. When Kytty can let out a string of curses, I know she's getting better."
James smiled, but lowered his eyes. "Did you tell them everything?" he asked with some hesitation, even though he already knew the answer. Jessie nodded.
"Yes. Reece and Kytty know, anyway. Reece will probably be staying with her for the next couple of days."
"What about Umiko?" James asked with some confusion. "I haven't seen her around since the day we admitted Kit to the hospital. Gengiess either, for that matter."
"I think they've been sent on a mission," Jessie replied. "A nice, easy one, if I hear correctly. The Boss knows that if Umiko stays idle, she can become a loose cannon. It's best to keep her busy." James nodded in agreement. Umiko was the type that always needed to be on the move or she got restless - a dangerous, but useful characteristic considering the nature of their jobs.
"So," began James slowly, "what are we going to do?" Jessie bit her bottom lip.
"I'm scared," she replied, her voice so soft it was barely audible. She squeezed James tightly against her, her eyes shut tight. "I hate all that's happened. Nothing can ever go back to the way it was, can it?" she asked.
"No," James agreed. "It can't. Everything's different now. But that doesn't have to be a bad thing." He focused on the distant horizon. "I guess will do like we always have - working for the Team, capturing genetically rare pokémon, having fun, chasing that pikachu..." Jessie laughed and James was compelled to join in.
"it really has been a long time since we bothered that boy," Jessie said with a smile, looking up into James' eyes. "He's probably wondering what happened to us." James nodded. Together, they looked over at the sun, giving off its last attempt at brilliance before flickering out underneath the horizon. Suddenly, they both sensed someone behind them. Turing, they saw the one person they least expected.
"Hi, guys," Meowth said carefully. He was staring at the ground, unable to meet their eyes. God, he felt awful! He looked up as Jessie and James came over to him, sitting on the ground next to him. James put his hand on the cat pokémon's head.
"It's okay, Meowth," he repeated. "I really mean it. We don't hold anything against you." Jessie nodded in agreement.
"Well, I wish you would!" Meowth snapped. "At least then I would know how I was supposed to react! With youse guys being so nice about all this, I just don't know what to do!"
"Listen furball," Jessie said, standing up, her hands on her hips. "None of this was your fault. You were just following orders from the Boss. Everything went down in the best possible way. Very few people got hurt, we saved Michael, everyone is going to make a full recovery..."
"And best of all, I'm not having those dreams anymore," James said chipperly, a grin on his face. He stretched his hands above his head and lay down on his back. "It's great being able to get through the night undisturbed."
"Unpleasantly undisturbed, anyway," Meowth replied with an evil grin, looking up at Jessie. She reached over and bopped him on the head, but not very hard. It was nice that Meowth was already starting to act like his old self. "Speaking of which, why were you having 'dose dreams anyway?"
"Mostly because Michael was projecting his own fears." Jessie sat on the ground next to James as he continued talking. "Since my psionic abilities were staring to break through, more so than Jessie's, I was picking up on them like a radio antenna."
"Your cap must have started degrading when you got shot," Jessie added. "Mine was pretty much intact until we raided the facility."
Meowth sighed and sat next to them. "I'm just glad 'dis whole mess is over with. I hated lying to youse guys."
"So, what are we doing next, Meowth?" Jessie asked, snuggling next to James, looking up at the stars in the inky black sky.
"To be honest, I have know idea," Meowth replied. "I guess will just have to wait and see what the Boss want us to do next." Meowth looked over at his friends and stifled a laugh when he saw James fast asleep. Jessie looked over at Meowth and rolled her eyes.
"He's had a long day," she whispered softly. She wrapped her arms around his waist and nestled down close to him, closing her own eyes. Meowth curled next to them and together, they all fell asleep.