Saving Shard

Chapter 9

Remington came for Misty with a sandwich a blindfold and handcuffs. He came hours after Shard had left to sneak back into the brig. Remington ordered Misty to eat, and then warned her that she had 'better cooperate'. He informed that he was taking her 'somewhere important'. Misty translated his vague words to mean one thing: she was being escorted to her doom.

As Misty choked down her awful tunafish and pickle sandwich (Remington wasn't very good at preparing a 'last meal') she studied the Rocket. She debated whether or not to release Sam — catch him off guard and fight him? Whether it was worth it to kick and to scream? Remington was a good head taller than her and probably weighed twice as much. Even without the handcuffs, she would never be able to overpower him. Plus Misty had no idea what kind of Pokemon he carried. She did not want to put Sam into a dangerous situation unless her life truly depended upon it.

Therefore, Misty approached her captor. She held her hands out, offering herself to the cuffs. Sam's Pokeball was in the pocket of her hoodie, even cuffed she could reach him. Misty drew comfort from this and held her head high.

The metal cuffs clicked tight, binding her hands in front of her. The binds were heavy, but not as heavy as her heart.

Misty thought of Shard and of his departing words: he had told Misty that she could survive this nightmare, but only if she got selfish. Perhaps 'selfish' meant playing the proper hostage in order to endure? Swallowing pride and vomiting obedience, submissiveness? Misty was uncertain, but she knew that she had to keep faith that Shard would somehow rescue her. Ash had not conjured up a clever way to do so, and he obviously could not free the Pokemon. All of her hopes for survival rested upon the blue-haired Rocket, and he could not rescue her if she were dead.

As though sensing Misty's bright thoughts, Remington was quick to darken them with the blindfold. She was then led through a dizzying series of corridors before Remington finally stopped. She heard a clicking sound, much like the locking and loading of a riffle. Fortunately this sound belonged to a door being unlocked and Remington pushed her inside. Misty stumbled and the Rocket grunted with amusement at her misstep. She clenched her jaw, wishing she could transform into a Scyther and slice his tongue right out!

Remington removed the blindfold and handcuffs with as much unnecessary roughness as possible. The light struck Misty's eyes like a sudden starburst – flashing, white-hot and intense. Misty rubbed at them, attempting in vain to speed up the adjustment processes. After a moment her eyes were focused once again and Misty scanned her new environment. She was inside an office of sorts, which was very ornate and grand. This was certainly the largest office she had ever seen. Even Ash's Master's Quarters dwarfed in comparison.

In front of Misty was a table, it was made from solid Apricorn wood with a marble top. The table could easily sit a dozen people. Toward the rear of the room was a desk, and it also appeared to be carved from Apricorn wood. There was a leather chair behind the desk, but the front was spun away from Misty. Due to the high headrest, she was unsure if it was occupied.

Misty's sight was now drawn to the walls, all four were painted gold and decorated lavishly. Of particular interest were a set of paintings. Like the artworks in Shard's laboratory, these were exquisite renditions of Pokemon. Everything from a Persian to a Golem to . . . The Monster. The most grandiose painting was a shrine to chaos and ruin! A flawless reproduction of the terrible monster Pokemon! Misty visibly shuddered, turning to Remington. "Where am I?" she dared, not stifling the offense in her tone.

Remington's expression remained neutral. He pointed her toward the desk. "My Boss will speak with you, Miss Waterflower."

Dread swelled in her throat like infected tonsils. Misty could barely choke out her next words: "Your boss wants to speak with me? Why?"