*** Begin PARobot Block ***
AUTHOR: Hector Gilbert
TITLE: Addle's Fortnight
PART: 1
PART_TITLE: 1
CATEGORY: Adventure
RATING: R
COMMENT: When Addle's latest and most risky hit goes badly wrong, he needs
to think up a back-up plan fast.
*** End PARobot Block ***
This is a rewritten version of part one of a fic which had been sent
here earlier. It shall primarily use Pokémon from the first generation of
games, however I may bring in some from the second generation and maybe
even some second generation moves or otherwise elements.
-----
The first shot had missed.
For a second, Addle had stalled. So had Giovanni, but afterwards it
certainly looked as if he had noticed the new bullet-hole which marked
his own bench.
This was indeed Giovanni's bench. Maize City - the capital city of Maize
Island - was also the "capital city" for Rocket activity, filled to the
brim with corruption. Politicians were figureheads for their Team
Rocket advisors; if they so wanted to, they could give Giovanni that
bench for him to take home.
All the more reason why Giovanni seems pissed off, Addle supposed. A
bullet wouldn't be much of a souvenir.
For the next few seconds Addle tried to keep cool, because as things
were Giovanni wasn't breaking off into a run. He took aim again once
Giovanni stood up, putting down his drink on the seat. At the sight of
his subject, Addle gradually felt his confidence return to him. The
casual way Giovanni was acting led Addle to believe that he was really
opening himself up for the shot, but a voice at the back of Addle's
head told him otherwise.
Addle had already received the money for this job; it was right behind
him, in the suitcase along with the picture that he had used to
identify Giovanni with. Thoughts of cash ate away at Addle's grip on
the trigger, but the hold he had was ultimately steadied by all those
lingering memories of the orders given to Addle as he was sent off into the fray. Those "orders" were in fact more like threats. If Addle was to stray away from killing Giovanni for more than a fortnight after taking the suitcase full of money, Addle would find someone with a suitcase in one hand and a gun in the other looking for both of them.
Addle wasn't the kind of person who would usually let such a sorry
infraction of his contract occur under these conditions, though. After
all he had only taken the suitcase earlier that morning, so it was in
fact still only the first day of that vital fortnight given to him. But
as Giovanni moved from his position to converse with an odd-looking
man with a heavy black coat, Addle quickly found his one-day plan talked
away before his very own eyes.
Addle's concentration on the task at hand was compromised by an anxiety
that he had not felt since rougher days that he would have preferred
to forget. The taste of the cool air gifted to Addle by his position on
the top of the building was soon replaced by that of his own sweat.
Giovanni pointed at a building, or more accurately at Addle's face.
Everything Addle had learned from his past achievements at once entered
his thoughts, but of course so too did everything else. Suddenly
Addle's mind was in a complete mess. He had to do something.
Without any other option in sight, Addle fired again. It hit the suited
character rather than Giovanni, hammering him to the ground in a possibly
dead heap. Once the suit crumpled on the sidewalk, a second shot tore
straight through his body and into the cement. Three shots, three misses,
and three curses under Addle's breath.
Addle didn't expect the return fire to come from Giovanni's pistol. He
also didn't expect to nearly get hit in the face by it, either; Addle had
reckoned that aiming from below was awkward at best.
Giovanni's pistol was clearly silenced, like Addle's rifle. That, like
everything else in his surroundings, was making Addle suspicious.
Giovanni had been picking everything up too quickly. He was too
prepared. Had he known...
Addle tensed up. More tension, more of Murphy's Law, and more curses
under Addle's breath. Everything came back to him, yet again, in a flood
of convoluted thoughts. Addle needed more release.
Addle aimed for Giovanni's head. The laser point was at his nose; Addle
reckoned that he had to have a hit there even with his own haste. But
even the shots that appeared to be perfectly executed were failing to
reach the target. It took Addle the use of his own entire clip to realise
what was happening.
The bullets that impacted were being absorbed by an invisible barrier;
they held position just beside his face. So much for the clip.
A Hypno materialised behind the Boss Rocket; quickly Addle gathered that
it had set up the barrier (and, on reflection, probably the basis of the
entire counterattack as well). With that Giovanni and Hypno both looked
blankly up at him, waiting for the next shot that would never come.
Addle threw the sniper rifle over the rooftop with a mixture of disgust
and the false hope that Giovanni would believe that Addle had been hit.
Once he heard the dull clanging noise of the rifle impacting with the
sidewalk, Addle broke away from the fray with his conscience hesitating
but his legs making much haste.
The rooftop elevator was only a few paces away. It looked more welcoming
than ever to Addle, who against all his principles felt more than ready
to suddenly keep his distance from a man who he would have to
eventually confront again sooner or later within the next fortnight.
Addle furiously punched the down button on the rooftop elevator and the
resulting wait for the doors to open felt far too long for his comfort.
However, the automatic doors opened to reveal an apparently empty elevator.
Despite his best instincts Addle entered with some haste, and went for
the second floor button with a ferocity similar to that he had used with
thedown button. The doors shut, and finally Addle could say goodbye to
his rooftop.
Addle relaxed a little, even under the realisation that he had left one
threatening scene on the verge of entering another. If he could set this
situation back in his favour, Addle was sure that nobody would question
him and his abilities ever again.
(
geocities.com/neo_pffmla/fanfiction) (
geocities.com/neo_pffmla)