IC - Perimeter Unit Hollow Treasure (Agents Ritter, Andreev, Hull, Darrow, Perrault, Koziel) - Mt. Silver Path, Johto: "Perimeter Unit Silent Horizon, this is Communications Officer Ritter of Perimeter Unit Hollow Treasure. Do you copy?"
The radio returned static amidst the hum and tumble of the jeep. Ritter switched channels, pressing down on the comm switch.
"Chapel, this is Communications Officer Ritter of Perimeter Unit Hollow Treasure. Still no response from Silent Horizon. We are nearing their last known point of contact at this time; will contact again with findings. Over."
"Affirmative, Hollow Treasure. Keep us posted. Over."
Ritter clipped the receiver back onto the transmitter and brought his hand to his chin. He turned his gaze to the window, pretending not to notice the uncomfortable looks he was getting from the rest of the unit seated with him. Mt. Silver was a known high-risk locale; that was why they had so many patrols scheduled to sweep through the area. But never in the last ten years had anything actually
happened to a perimeter unit during a sweep. That was why it was so troubling when, only a few hours ago, Chapel had received a brief, but frantic distress call from Silent Horizon, who had fallen quiet and failed to return any calls since then. If nothing had happened when the many,
many wild Pokémon in the area had possessed their powers, what could have harmed them now, while they were weakened?
To the three lower-ranking members of the squad sitting with him in the jeep's main compartment, the anticipation was sickening more than anything. Koziel fidgeted with her lighter, flipping it open and closed, casting an orange glow upon them at regular intervals. Perrault rocked his foot against the floor sporadically. Darrow seemed the most calm, but even he was busy flipping rapidly through pages on information on the kinds of Pokémon inhabiting the mountain, desperately searching for some idea of what they might expect. Up in the front, Hull focused on navigating the jeep through the rocky mountain pass, while Andreev--their leader-- scanned ahead with a pair of binoculars, searching for any heat signatures.
If any of them had any guesses about what had happened, they weren't voicing them. Try as he might, Ritter himself could not get the idea out of his head that this was
not simply the work of some particularly powerful Pokémon--not after hearing reports about the incidents in the Sevii Islands.
Mt. Silver loomed up ahead, and not too far around the northern side, they would locate the last transmission site from Silent Horizon. What they would find there was anyone's guess.
IC - Perimeter Unit Hollow Treasure (Agents Ritter, Andreev, Hull, Darrow, Perrault, Koziel) - Mt. Silver Path, Johto: GPS reports indicated that at this point in their journey, Silent Horizon had deviated from the dirt and gravel road and headed down an opening in the trees off toward a flatter, wooded area of Mt. Silver. So, Hollow Treasure followed. Ritter tracked their progress on his digital pad, watching the blinking light as it traced its way through the wilderness. It was not long before the trees opened up onto a small field, terminating some ten yards away in a sharp drop. Across the grassy way, the valley stretched out before them. The sun shone red on the clouds as it descended toward the horizon.
"Pull into the center," Andreev directed to Hull. The latter nodded, slowing the jeep's movements and finally coming to a stop. For a moment, Andreev did not move, peering carefully out through the windshield. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she glanced back into the main cabin. "Ritter?"
Ritter shook his head. "We're alone."
She did not look convinced. "Darrow, turret. Keep an eye out. Everyone else, gear up. I've got a bad feeling here . . ."
Andreev did not often get 'bad feelings' on operations. When she did, Ritter had learned, they were worth listening to. The squad locked their helmets into place; as the other five primed their weapons, Darrow climbed to the back of the jeep, opening the top hatch and climbing into the turret's control seat. The gun swiveled slowly and deliberately across the treeline, scanning and waiting. Hull remained near the jeep, just in case.
The field was larger than it had first seemed. Or perhaps it was a trick of the mind that made it appear so; Ritter was unsure. He followed at the back of the group as Andreev picked her way across the field, flanked by Perrault and Koziel. Tell-tale tire tracks led to the center of the field, confirming that Silent Horizon had made their way here. Andreev stooped down, scanning the area first visually, and then with her techpad. The screen lit up with a digitized feed. As Andreev directed it this way and that, it highlighted potential objects of interest--the tire tracks on the ground; an unusually large patch of crushed flora; spent casings from an assault rifle . . .
"Are we sure they didn't just go AWOL?" Perrault asked. He didn't sound like he believed any part of that suggestion, himself. The electronic distortion from his helmet did not help in that regard. "It happens all the time, right?"
Andreev shook her head. "That's not what happened."
"With all due respect, ma'am? How can you be sure?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she focused on the techpad, which had highlighted several sets of footprints on the southern edge of the field. Andreev frowned, pacing alongside them. Try as she might, she could not make sense of what she was seeing--though the techpad had clearly picked up on a clear enough pattern, it did not provide any suggestions for possible sources of the footprints the way it normally would. And the sheer number of them . . .
"Okay . . ." She breathed with the word, speaking more to herself than the rest of the squad. "Something happened here . . . but what . . .?"
She looked from the forest to the field. Silent Horizon's jeep had come from the main road. Why? Perhaps that was unimportant right now . . . It had parked right in the center. Silent Horizon had dispatched from it. Something large had rested among the flowers; maybe an investigation? Something surprised them. The bullet casings indicated that they had opened fire. Target unknown. More footprints . . . Other somethings had arrived, likely hostile. But there was no indication of their jeep being destroyed or even damaged; more tracks led away, haphazard patterns. Had their driver fled, left them for dead? The others--five others--had moved away, closing in as they were surrounded by . . . what? What had driven them to the cliff . . .?
While Andreev pondered this, Ritter suddenly straightened up. The sudden movement caught Koziel off-guard. Her comm buzzed as she started to say something, but Ritter held a hand up, silencing her. By now, the others had noticed, and they stared at Ritter. Sweat dripped down the side of his face. Finally, he looked at Andreev. "Do you . . . hear
anything right now . . .?
The squad leader returned his stare. As a matter of fact, she realized--no. The area was completely silent. It was no different from when they had arrived, but somehow, that fact only heightened her alarm. Forcing herself to remain calm, she turned to the forest. No signs of movement. "Anything on the radar?" she called to Darrow. The gunner started to shake his head, and then stopped. "What?"
"I'm getting something," he said, slowly and carefully. "It's behind us--about thirty feet down."
"Koziel." The agent fell in step behind Andreev as she made her way to the edge of the cliff. The squad leader knelt down, peering over the edge. In the dying light, it was getting harder to see, but . . . Yes; she could definitely see movement on the next shelf below. Slow, shambling, but definitely movement--a human; there was no mistaking it. She pulled out her binoculars, hoping to get a better look. Even at this distance though, high above them . . . It was like alarms were going off in her head, sirens warning her to back away and leave.
It seemed her companion felt it, too. Still on her feet, Koziel leaned forward. She flicked her lighter on and off, a nervous tick that Andreev had long since given up on breaking.
Now, she wished she had kept at it.
As Koziel went to flick the lighter open again, it slipped from her hand. The device dropped, hitting the slight slant of the wall on its way down and sending a small shower of dirt and rocks. The lighter
snapped against the rock floor down below. Altogether, it was enough to get the person's attention. They stopped, raising their head up and staring, meeting Andreev's gaze through the binoculars . . .
"What the ###### . . ."
The . . .
thing staring at her . . . There was no doubt it was--or rather, had been--human. In fact, she recognized the man as Norwood, Ritter's counterpart in Silent Horizon. But the similarities ended in their base appearance. The thing down below opened its mouth, bloodied and black, in a chilling groan that cut through the wind around them as it moved to the cliff wall, arms raised as if it could reach them despite the distance. For better or worse, it was trapped down there, lifeless, gray eyes staring, unblinking, skyward. She had not noticed before, but now, looking closer, she could see that his left leg was twisted, broken bones sticking straight through both skin and blood-splattered uniform.
Andreev stared back, frozen with horror and uncertain of how to even
begin to process what she was seeing, when Darrow called from the jeep. "Stop where you are--that's an order!"
She and Koziel turned, scrambling to hoist their weapons up as they hurried back to the jeep. Hull and Darrow had trained their weapons on a group of figures in the darkening forest. On the other side of the jeep, Perrault and Ritter stared in disbelief, uncertain of how to proceed. With a quick series of gestures, Andreev directed them and Koziel to watch the perimeter while she moved to stand beside Hull, raising her own rifle.
The figures continued to shamble forward.
"Repeating order," Andreev yelled. "Stop where you are,
now!"
They did not comply. The four figures continued forward, shambling and stumbling through the undergrowth. Despite her warning, Andreev signaled for the others to wait. As the group came closer, the sunlight fell on their features, confirming her suspicions.
"Silent Horizon, this is your last warning--if you do not stop
immediately, we
will open fire!"
Perhaps they ignored the order. Perhaps it was lost amidst their dead, rising moans. Either way, they were certainly not in compliance with the order--and it was clear that they were not approaching for peaceful reasons. If a corpse could glare, that was the expression these four individuals now wore. Their arms were raised, and their shambling seemed to quicken as they made it clear of the brush, baring their fangs as they drew nearer to Hollow Treasure.
"Open fire!" Andreev shouted. Her first shot hit its mark, slamming into the lead body's shoulder and staggering it. The thing shrugged off the hit and continued forward. Luckily, her shot had snapped Hull and Darrow out of their horrified surprise. The three laid into the zombies, shearing flesh from bone with carefully-placed shots. With each one that fell, the rest went down easier and easier, until finally the last one fell to the floor in tatters, a single bullet shot clean through its skull.
That should have been the end of it. But as the ringing in the air cleared, they became aware of the veritable
horde approaching through the forest.
Darrow recognized them first. He was a bookworm; he had read the reports and seen the images. If ever there was a situation where they were uncertain of what they were after, Darrow could be trusted to know the answer. So when he identified amongst the approaching bodies several creatures that had thus far only appeared within the Sevii Islands, and thus extrapolated the situation from there . . .
"We're got Instances!"
Well . . . If they were going to die, at least they would know to what.
IC - Perimeter Unit Hollow Treasure (Agents Ritter/Lopunny, Andreev/Golurk, Hull/Pinsir, Darrow/Durant, Perrault/Kabutops, Koziel/Infernape) - Mt. Silver Path, Johto: "Instances!?" Perrault's intonation was frightened, on the verge of panicked. "Oh no . . . Oh f--"
"Perrault, get it together!" Andreev yelled. "Darrow! Detail report!"
If there was anything to be thankful for, it was that the approaching horde was not charging--not yet. They were visible now in the trees, shambling forward. Andreev counted roughly twenty, maybe twenty-five enemy units in total, some large, others small, none of them friendly. Darrow had the best idea of what exactly they were up against, however. He fell silent for a moment as he turned his scanners on them.
"Sixteen targets identified, five unknown," Darrow called back at last. "Feeding HUD reports now."
Andreev's line-of-sight lit up with holographic reticles, listing out basic information on what they were seeing and highlighting them within the low light of the trees. Of the sixteen identified Instances, there seemed to be a pretty diverse mix. Four Fraygrins melded their way near the front of the group, flanked by four Maniakoll that darted from tree to tree like strange, physics-defying ragdolls. Two Terminite scuttled through the underbrush just ahead of them, hidden from immediate sight; a Venophage flitted about on the outskirts of the group, searching for a weak point in the guard. Trailing at the back was a slow-moving Sinystal, and three Harpreak jumping through the tree branches just above it, which soon shot through the canopy and into the air, where they began circling the clearing as only vultures could. A Phantashade rounded out their numbers, phasing through trees as if they were not even there.
These known threats all seemed smaller in comparison to what followed after them, however. Andreev could hear the other five Instances long before she could see them, and they all sounded large--
very large. They crashed and lumbered through the trees with heavy, surefooted steps. Some of them, anyway--something among them hummed with the telltale sounds of an engine, a vehicle mowing its way through wood and debris, crushing everything underfoot without discernment. When they finally neared enough to register on radar, Andreev was not sure what to make of
any of them.
Four of the
creatures were humanoid, though their general shape was where the resemblance to anything 'human' ended. They were green and brown, easily eight to ten feet tall, top-heavy, and covered in various plant matter. Their bodies looked as if they had been constructed from compressed clay and grass--clearly organic, deceptively sturdy. Roots decorated their bodies at various points, and they carried themselves on thick legs like tree trunks. Each bore a wide grin upon their otherwise-blank faces, emitting deep-voice giggles and chuckles that carried heavily on the wind. Every single one toted some sort of bludgeon in their oversized fists--two dragged thick, broken tree trunks in their wake, while the others wielded uprooted warning signs that had likely once served as guiding signals on some trail within the mountain.
The
thing following after them was even larger. If there had never before existed a centaur comprised of a humanoid body atop the body of a tank . . . Well, it existed now. Black and red in color, this was the creature smashing everything in front of it, carving a path through the trees and bushes. A robotic body had somehow sprouted from the main casing of what appeared to have been a tank, treads now carrying it forward into battle. Several lights adorned the lower body, forming an upside-down structure sort of like a face. The robot's thick arms were covered in armor plating; one forearm terminated into a deadly cannon. The Instance's eyes glowed yellow from its skull, scanning the field for its targets.
"Wait--picking up two additional targets; types also unknown."
These were much smaller in size--it was no wonder Darrow had initially missed them. They were about the size of the average Bug-Type Pokémon, and as Andreev observed them, she could not get past how bizarre they looked even compared to the other Instances. It was as if someone had taken the body of a common house fly, mechanized it, and replaced the head with a black microphone. They appeared none the wiser to their unusual existence, instead merely planting themselves in the trees on the edge of the clearing and pointing themselves at the group of scouts. Other than that, they made no apparent moves.
"What's our plan?" Koziel called. She had eyes on the Venophage, and though she tried her best not to, she sounded worried.
"Deploy Pokémon," Andreev ordered. "Powers or not, they'll even the odds. Darrow, keep that turret trained on the big ones--keep anything within line of sight outside of the clearing. I'll engage support here. Hull, Perrault, take up left flank; Koziel and Ritter get the right. Utilize your Pokémon for defense while we focus on taking out priority targets--marking them now." The reticles on the Venophage, Phantashade, and Sinystal turned red, as did the marker on the tank creature. By the time it reached the clearing, hopefully they'd have taken out a few of the smaller ones. "Deploy Pokémon now!"
Six flashes lit up the clearing. The hulking figure of Andreev's Golurk appeared beside the jeep, as did the large Durant under Darrow's possession. To the left, Hull's Pinsir and Perrault's Kabutops appeared; to the right, Ritter's Lopunny and Koziel's Infernape. With the additional numbers, Andreev felt her own nerves settle a little bit, but she was not yet holding out hope--this was going to be a long, grueling fight. She could already tell.
"Ritter, try to get a message out to Chapel for back-up A.S.A.P.," Andreev added. "We'll keep them off of you while you're on it."
"Yes, ma'am!" Ritter pulled back, taking cover as he began setting up a radio call. His Lopunny moved immediately to cover his position.
As the first Instances neared the forest edge, Andreev primed her weapon. "Squad, ENGAGE!"
And so it began.
IC - Perimeter Unit Hollow Treasure (Agents Ritter/Lopunny, Koziel/Infernape, Andreev/Golurk, Darrow/Durant, Hull/Pinsir, Perrault/Kabutops) - Mt. Silver Path, Johto:--Sinystal x1; Venophage x1; Phantashade x1; Drivedie x1; Terminite x2; Spyfly x2; Harpreak x3; Fraygrins x4; Maniakoll x4; Meadiant x4-- As they drew closer to the clearing, the Instances began to widen their approach, spreading out in a loose line through the trees.
The first ones approached.
It was not a ground attack as expected, but rather an aerial assault that began the skirmish. Andreev's Golurk turned its attention upward as the three Harpreak suddenly dived from their heavenly circle, loosing a loud, horrid screech that echoed throughout the valley. With Darrow maintaining sight on the treeline, Andreev raised her weapon toward the Flying-Types, training it on the lowest-flying. She did not pull the trigger, instead pressing herself tight against the jeep as a blade of wind rushed down from above, slicing a thick gash into the grass at her feet. Two more followed suit, each just barely missing and one cleaving the side mirror off of the vehicle.
The Harpreak dived low, adjusting their flight vectors and swooping away from Andreev. Two did, anyway. The third swooped past, only to find itself stuck in place as Golurk's thick fist closed around its feet, squeezing. It shrieked as the bones in its legs crushed under the pressure, completely shattering them. It flapped its wings wildly, trying to break free. As it summoned a Gust of wind, preparing to lash out at its captor, Golurk brought its other hand forward, gripping the Harpreak's head in its palm and squeezing until it burst into a shower of red goo. With the Instance limp in its grip, the Automaton Pokémon spun around, hurling the lifeless body of its adversary into the trees. Two of the Maniakoll peeled off from their approach, descending on the body in its hidden landing place; the sounds of tearing flesh made it all too obvious what they were doing.
Andreev shook her head, returning her attention to the treeline; she trusted Golurk to keep an eye on the remaining Harpreak if they attacked again. As she settled into position, the first of the land-bound Instances broke through--both Terminite, scuttling several meters ahead of their fellows. The Bug-Types made a beeline for the jeep, where Andreev, Darrow, and Darrow's Durant waited.
"Fire!"
Andreev and Darrow opened fire--she with her rifle, he with the turret. In seconds, dozens of bullets had raked the shells of the two Bug-Type Instances. To Andreev's horror and frustration, she realized that they were not doing anything. While the force of the turret trained on one managed to force it to a crawl, they had yet to actually pierce either of the Terminites' carapaces. And the one on the right was fast approaching. Durant rushed forward to meet it, the large Iron Ant Pokémon barreling into it and managing to catch the Terminite's front pincers in his own jaws. The Bug-Type hissed, kicking forward with its forelegs and raking Durant's own, much-tougher carapace with whatever it could throw at it--Fury Attack, Powder, various webbing attacks, and so on. Durant withstood the assault, managing to push back and hold it in place even as its speed lowered, and a thick, volatile powder settled on his form. At some point, the Terminite's carapace opened, deploying a set of large, silvery wings. As it fluttered rapidly, trying to take flight, Durant pulled, grounding it.
A crystalline object landed nearby, exploding into a cloud of hot, reddish powder.
"Durant!" Darrow yelled, pulling his attention away from the projectile. "Flip that thing over and fall back!"
With an affirmative hiss of its own, Durant twisted his neck. The Terminite was heavy, but Durant had natural strength on his side. With a heave, the Iron Ant Pokémon forced his opponent first onto its side, and then onto its back. The Terminite struggled to regain its footing, rolling helplessly around on its round shell. By the time it had managed to start flipping itself over, however, Durant had pulled back, and Darrow had adjusted the turret. With the Terminite's soft underbelly exposed, its soon found itself terminated, rent apart by a hail of high-velocity bullets that liquidized its innards.
That attack, however, meant that the second Terminite was free now.
"Target down!" Darrow called. "Durant, time for round two!"
A second crystal landed, closer this time. It exploded into another red cloud.
"Golurk, adjust position!" Andreev called. "Don't let any of those things land near us! Darrow, line of sight on the treeline--I'll get this one!"
They repeated the process from before. As Durant rushed forward again, it just barely managed to catch the Terminite post-attack. Darrow swore as the loose Pin Missile cut a hole through the driver-side door. With a bit of effort, the second Terminite flipped onto its back. Andreev took aim, planting a dozen shots into its undercarriage until it fell still.
"Target eliminated!" she yelled. "Ritter, how's that comm coming?"
Whatever the response was, she did not hear it over the crashing of dozens of leaves and branches as the four Fraygrins erupted from the ground in front of them.
Further into the clearing, Ritter slapped a hand against the radio. He growled, looking up toward the outskirts of the field, all too aware of the sweat running down his brow. "Not good," he responded. "Says it's transmitting, but I'm not hearing
anything."
"Get it fixed!" Koziel called. "This is just the front-load--they're closing in for the real fight now!"
"I'm trying!" Ritter adjusted the controls again, speaking into the transmitter. "Chapel, this is Communications Officer Ritter of Perimeter Unit Hollow Treasure. We are under attack by Missing Zero at provided coordinates. Repeat: Missing Zero is present on Mt. Silver! Requesting reinforcements.
Please respond!"
No indication the message had gone through like there normally would be. The radio didn't even crackle with dead static. Had Missing Zero spread to Chapel in the time they had been away, completely consumed it? No; that was impossible. The radio registered as functioning, so why was it not
working?
Ritter slowly lifted his head as he recognized a buzzing sound beyond the gunfire around him.
The flies.
The two strange, microphone-like Instances had moved from their perch in the trees. They flitted about in the air just beyond the cliff, emitting a strange sound from their even stranger heads. With each movement, they made sure to keep their bodies facing forward, toward the clearing--toward Ritter. When had they moved? He looked between them and the radio, wondering . . .
"Ritter!" Koziel yelled. "We've got contact!"
The communications officer jerked his head around. The Phantashade had drifted out from the shadows, gliding almost lazily along the grass toward his and Koziel's position. Her Infernape and his Lopunny glared at the intruder, uncertain of how to proceed against the Ghost-Type. Behind it, one of the larger Instances trudged along, dragging its tree trunk club along the ground.
Teeth grinding, Ritter grabbed his rifle and ran to join Koziel, sliding to a stop next to her and taking aim. "Lopunny, try to keep the larger Instance distracted," he ordered. "Koziel, Infernape, prioritize the Ghost-Type for now."
"Don't gotta tell me twice," Koziel responded.
With a whistle, Infernape rushed forward. The Ghost-Type slowed, raising its arms as if to defend itself from the Flame Pokémon. As the Infernape took a swing, however, it merely phased through the monkey's attack. Ritter imagined that if it could grin, it would have then and there. With a dismissive wave of its hand, the Phantashade sent Infernape flying back with a Shadow Ball attack straight in the chest. The Fire-Type slid along the ground, rolling to a stop just in front of her trainer. Gingerly, she pushed herself up, glaring at her assailant.
"Pokémon powers would be
really helpful right about now . . ." Koziel muttered.
Ritter didn't have any words to express his agreement.
The Harpreak made a grave miscalculation in their flight trajectory. As they swooped away from Andreev and Darrow, they made a swing through the airspace of Perrault and Hull. It was fortunate that Perrault was paired with Hull. The team's driver had spotted the approach trajectory, and they had correctly predicted where the Harpreak would circle around to regain air. Golurk taking one of the Flying-Types out of the picture was fortunate--less work for the other group.
As the Harpreak swung through, Perrault's Kabutops sprung up from his hiding place in the grass, cleaving his arm blades through the shoulders of one Instance. The other found itself caught in a similar trap just behind, as Hull's Pinsir lurched from below with horns strong enough to tear her target in half. Both Instances--one devoid of wings, the other bisected at the waist--came to a crashing halt in the grass. With a call from Hull, they and Perrault rushed forward, each taking a target and loosing a burst of shots point-blank into the Flying-Type Instance's skulls.
"That worked?" Perrault said, his voice shaking. He wiped away the blood-like substance that had splattered across his visor. "I-I can't believe that worked!"
"Focus up, Perrault," Hull said. They checked their magazine, quickly moving back to reform the perimeter. "This isn't done yet. Not even close."
"R-Right," the other scout said. He moved to join Hull. "What've we got left?"
"Whatever comes out this way," Hull said. "Stay on guard."
Perrault nodded. To their left, Andreev and Darrow combated their own Instances; further down the line, Koziel and Ritter engaged even more. He found it difficult not to watch, particularly since their specific section seemed so . . . quiet. Even now, he saw first one Terminite, then the second crush under Andreev and Darrow's combined attacks, saw the sudden arrival of several Fraygrins from just in front of them--
"Targets incoming! Perrault, focus!"
He whipped around, raising his weapon toward the treeline. Four humanoid figures zipped and swirled out from the trees like twisted, grinning corpses, moving in a sort of conglomerate--almost a moving portrait of twisting figures. Three were pure white in color, the other a deep black. They seemed to dance through the air as they approached, untouched by gravity, challenging the living to oppose them. Pinsir and Kabutops glared them down, both glowering with an intensity that could have burned a hole straight through their opponents.
"W-What do we do, Hull?"
The other scout did not response, simply eyeing the Instances with clear suspicion. "Something's not right . . ."
"They're Instances,
nothing is right with them."
"No," Hull snapped. They primed their rifle, taking a step back. "Perrault, fall back. Now."
"But--"
"
Now!"
The order came a split-second too late. Just as Perrault complied, the group of Maniakoll split apart into four separate directions, and a purple creature lunged forward. Its bulbous, spherical body glinted a venomous hue in the light as it moved, almost too quickly to see, covering the distance between them all in seconds. Kabutops swung, missing its thin, stick-like legs by mere inches as it jabbed its three-pronged tail toward Perrault's abdomen.
