Another Day at Unity (17) (Patreon)

Ilene circled around him once, before eyeing the soldiers. One waited by the exit to the hall, the other beside the sealed door to her living quarters. “What happened?”

He insists he's wearing the trigger to an explosive device, thought one. These were common mercenaries and had no telepathy of their own. She had also prepared them for something like this. They knew the powers they might use, if the situation required.

“He is not lying. You did the right thing. Go to the head of personnel and tell them I'm about to have a case.”

As she said it, she gestured at the door. "Both of you, wait outside. This will not take long."

She circled around the couch before settling confidently into it. Her daemon floated behind her, faint blue eye focused on the intruder.

Even without reading his mind, Ilene could guess at the sort of man this was. Fine black suit, bright red tie, and a spiked collar on the Absol's neck. A few oversized lumps bulged in his jacket—a handgun with a few rounds of special ammunition, a phone, and the detonator.

"I'm quite sure you have no idea what you've done by violating this ship," she eventually said, folding her arms confidently in her lap. "If you had, you would have refused whatever promises Giovanni made. No sum is worth what I am about to do to you."

A little of his confidence faltered. His shoulders weren't quite so alert, his eyes not quite so sharp. He set the glass down. "You're not threatening to kill me? Everyone at headquarters said you would. You have... a bit of a historical reputation for it. Assuming you didn't just take that woman's name."

Unlike the man, she kept perfectly neutral, just as she always had while in service to Mew House. She was steel, and only those she loved would ever see otherwise. "I have a friend who convinced me to use alternative methods. She thinks most of you are victims of your circumstances, that killing you removes your chance to reform and productively serve society. She made me promise I would repair my enemies. Part of me fears that might be crueler than death. We'll find out in a moment."

He raised a hand. "I know... some of what they say is true. Mythical pokémon are dangerous. You're more powerful than anyone I've ever known. And you've got a lifetime of Unity. If I shot you, it wouldn't even hurt."

It would if you kept those bullets. "Before I change you, I offer you this single opportunity to surrender. Remove the detonator from your vest, give me the code that will disconnect it from the implant attached to your spine. Tell me the location of each explosive device hidden on the Imperium. Do that, and I'll send you to Kanto unharmed."

His eyes darted sideways to the daemon, then back up at her. "So you... already know all that. I guess that makes this easier. You're going to sit right there, because if you do anything to hurt me, this ship and all your expensive hardware goes down into the harbor. Is that what you want?"

She didn't even blink. Her daemon's focus was even more intense than hers, though it wasn't the human that the daemon watched. Its powers would go somewhere else today.

"Give me your demands. I'm listening."

"We're commandeering this ship," he said. "A helicopter is on its way with replacement crew. You'll let them land, and put all your people inside. You and your kid stay here, continue on to our destination. You still get to become ruler of the Sevii Islands—you're just going to have some managerial assistance. My boss will fill you in on those details as we get closer."

She waited for him to finish. "Giovanni—he thought this would work? Planting bombs on my ship, I mean. Did he not know what a jirachi is?"

The absol lifted her head, growling low. That blade pointed towards Ilene, as though she would lunge and slice at her throat. The daemon remained still for the moment. Though she had her doubts that even the daemon of a hardened criminal would touch another person.

"I don't understand," he said. "Was I not clear? You're going to order all the soldiers on this ship to stand down, and prepare to leave. Your crew are all going home. Only you and your son will remain here. Harlan was his name, right? Wouldn't want anything to happen to him. If our demands aren't met, I won't deactivate the explosives. Our engineers assured me the ship would sink within minutes. Probably not enough time to reach him."

She sighed. "I would rather speak to the man directly. Using an intermediary with no authority to negotiate is a waste of time."

"Authority?" He drew the little plastic device out of his pocket, holding it flat in one hand. "I'm not negotiating, I'm delivering our demands. You follow them, and none of your people get hurt. It's not hard to figure out."

"Alright." She lowered her head to him in a mock bow. "Tell your helicopter they will be allowed to land." She didn't wait for him to act, instead levitating over a communicator from the wall. "Stand down anti-aircraft. A passenger craft will be arriving on the helipad. Surrender your weapons to them, and follow all their instructions."

She turned up the volume, so the intruder would hear the reply. "Lady Millennium? Are you sure? We're still in Kanto waters... they can send people."

"Quite sure," she said. "Follow my instructions, please. The Imperium will be fine." She switched the radio off, then tossed it aside. Far out of reach of the intruder. "There."

"Better," he said. He took a radio of his own out from a pocket, extending the large antenna towards the window. "This is Red One. Transit is go."

"Roger Red One," said a little voice, faintly into his ear. He didn't mean for her to hear, but that didn't matter. She could hear the vibrations in the crystal receiver, the oscillations of encrypted radio traffic. "Fifteen minutes."

He stood up, stalking past her. "Next, I'm going to want—"

Ilene gestured forcefully. The radio tumbled out of his grip, soaring across the room to rest atop her desk. At the same moment he jerked backward into the couch, shoved with enough force to leave him gasping and pained. The daemon stood—or she tried. The metal deck ripped free of the thin wood veneer above it, curling around her in a jagged collar of steel.

"I have the same plans for your new crew," she said. "I'm guessing some of them are not dark types. Might be able to extract more information from them than you. We'll see."

"Cut the shit," he said, holding his other device tightly in both hands. As though any human strength could resist the might of a mythical pokémon. He might be able to press the activator before she could wrench it away. "You think you can tell me what to do? What part of commandeering your ship did you not understand?"

She waved one hand faintly in his direction in a precise teleport, closing her fingers around something. It landed there in her hand, still wet with saliva.

The man twitched, his expression turning suddenly confused. Ilene ignored it, removing a handkerchief from her pocket and drying the object. "Sorry about that. I didn't want to risk losing you."

"Crazy bitch." He squeezed his hand tight, and the detonator made a resounding click. Several sharp sounds emerged from the drawer behind her, along with a little hiss of smoke.

Ilene stood up, one hand still towards her captive. He wouldn't be getting up.

"I suppose I should return these." She walked over to the desk, then slid the drawer out of its wheels, carrying it across the room. She turned it over on his lap, dumping a dozen electronic detonators. Each one now ended in a little black tip where their detonator had ignited.

"I think we would both know if I'd missed one. Trouble with all this amazing new technology—if you hide something well enough that I won't find it, it can't get a signal."

She sat down again, and relaxed her powers. "Are you going to be cooperative now? It will at least minimize the pain required."

He was not, as it turned out. He lurched sideways, yanking the handgun from his pocket. To his credit, he pointed it at his own head, not hers. The hammer clicked, and nothing happened.

"Let me repeat myself." She gestured, and a row of seven bullets appeared between them, before tumbling out the open window. "Did the man who sent you here expect you would succeed? Part of me thinks this was some form of cruel punishment. He expected a tidy execution, and a martyr to inspire his band of ne'er-do-wells to fight and hold their territory."

The intruder dropped the gun, slumping back into his seat. He closed his eyes, no longer even looking at her. "You won't get anything out of my head before killing me."

"I'm aware. I won't be forcibly extracting anything from you. You're going to tell me willingly."

That was the real reason she hadn't brought her son to her quarters for this confrontation. This fool was no threat to Harlan—but she didn't want him to hear the screaming.

The daemon’s third eye fell on the prisoner, sending brilliant blue light cascading down on the intruder's trapped daemon.

As it turned out, most of the Imperium heard the screaming.

Ilene was somewhat less theatrical when the helicopter finally arrived. Most of the people aboard had not come to threaten her or her children—they were technical crew, ship operators and navigators and similar.

There was far less to do anyway—once she sent their weapons and all the helicopter's fuel off into the ocean, they were fairly agreeable to conversation.

Most of them were, anyway. A few were soldiers, with pokémon they thought gave them a type advantage against her. Their mistake was assuming she would fight fair. Even a powerful daemon was little threat once their human was unconscious.

She clambered up onto the heavy lifter helicopter. With the soldiers dispatched, that left about a dozen people—men and women both, vehicle operators with the stink of corruption on their souls.

"Before we begin, I'd like a volunteer," she said. "Which of you is the most loyal to the one who sent you? That would be most efficient for all of us, I think. Better to send back the one that would cost me the most effort."

"Send back?" asked one—a young woman with huge goggles over her face, and a heavy toolbag on her shoulder. "You should let us all go."

"He's very good at arithmetic," said someone else. An older man, with his face and arms covered with scars. "Whatever you take from him, he'll take double. You kill us, he'll kill twice as many of yours."

"He hasn't dealt with anyone like me before," Ilene said, focusing on him. The older man was a good choice—someone his age would have a daemon with more inertia. "You will do. Please step out. I believe there's a new member of the staff with some refreshments waiting on the landing deck. Wait there and watch while I work."

"You don't have to do anything to us," said a nervous-looking woman with long red hair. She nudged the man sitting next to her, who continued. 

"Whatever you want to know, you got it."

"Boss just sent us for janitorial," said another voice—one of their daemons? The feeling was wrong.

"Shut it," said the one with mirrored goggles. "You don't tell her a word, or you'll only wish you were dead."

Ilene gestured forcefully at her, pressing her against the helicopter wall. "I believe they can make up their own mind." She nodded at the door. "Very well. I suppose the same opportunity is open to anyone here who might share information with me. If it's worthwhile, I'll give you the chance to work off the debt you've just incurred to my house. If not—you'll still work off the debt you owe. You just won't know why anymore."

The two shuffled out, along with their pokémon. She let them go, together with her chosen witness.

A smattering of mercenaries waited on the deck, blocking any possible route of escape.

Only one other remained on the flight deck—a young woman with a nervous-looking minccino daemon, rocking back and forth as she held a tray of drinks against her chest.

Lady Hayden might loosen the standards of dress in Mew House, but Ilene would do no such thing with her staff. Every servant would be in uniform while on duty, even if they only joined the staff a few minutes ago.

No one else volunteered. The remaining nine crew glowered at each other, as though daring someone to break first. Under that much pressure, none did.

But then someone screamed. A tray fell, glass shattered, and the serving girl was suddenly in a powerful headlock with her little minccino pressed in the jaws of the old man's seviper.

"Jirachi!" he called, breathless. "Please step off the helicopter! Unless you want something to happen to... whoever this is."

She sighed, glancing up and down the helicopter. "Remain in your seats, please. I'll be right back."

She vanished from inside, reappearing in front of the struggling older man. Tough for someone older, like shriveled leather. "I suggest you let her go," Ilene said. She gestured, and the tray levitated back into the air. Various bottles rolled back to her, settling into place atop it. The glass took more attention than she was now willing to expend.

She held out the tray towards him, as though she were back in Mew House all over again. "I offered you refreshment. You'll be watching in the sun for the next few hours. I thought you might get thirsty."

He tilted his head to the side. "Are you insane?" His daemon twitched, squeezing the minccino tighter in her coils. "I'm going to kill your servant."

"I didn't ask a name," Ilene said, honestly. "You can kill her if you want. It would be a shame, I am rather proud of the quality of my work. But she was a member of your organization, so I suppose it's your right."

He eyed the young woman, then released her neck. She whimpered and gasped, dropping to the ground. A pair of red marks appeared on her neck, where Seviper's fangs pressed against the minccino's unprotected throat. But until the creature bit down, she was fine.

"I've never seen her in my life," the old man said. He eyed the man and woman, shuffling nervously away from Ilene in their black and white uniforms. Except for the meowth, who appeared to be reaching for a drink. "Have you two met her?"

Ilene lowered the tray to his reach, then straightened again.

"Well, uh... no. She does seem a little young for a dangerous mission." The man looked down, before taking a drink himself. Ilene let him do it. Despite their uniforms, she sensed surprisingly little hostility from these two. No ongoing plot to slit her throat or somehow sink the ship, or escape and get their revenge. They really just wanted to leave.

"And now she's terrified. Her memories are a mess, she has no idea where she is or how she got here. But she did threaten my son in her past life, so if you want to—go ahead."

She waited, arms on her hips. But no bite came. After a few seconds, the minccino dropped to the ground, then scampered over to his human in terror. The two curled up together, shaking in place on the deck.

"I have no idea what you mean," the man said, defeated. "Is it what you wanted me to see?"

"No," she waved one hand, calling over a marine. "Take these two and their pokémon somewhere they can't cause trouble. This demonstration isn't for them."

Ilene wasn't completely heartless. If these two were already servants, they didn't need to see what she was about to do. Let the guilty witness.

They would probably hear the screaming anyway.