Hello Darkness My Old Friend… (A War Against the Dittos)

[Noblejanobii]

Chapter 3
-Back in the ERR-

The car idled as we waited several blocks away from the bar. I was currently in a phone conversation with a part of my past I never thought I would have to confront again: the Electric Rodent Regime. I knew Godiva, Simba, and Lonely Road were very confused in the backseat, and I'd explain everything to them later. But first, I needed to handle this.

"So you're calling me back in for duty? You know I swore to never come back," I said quietly. There was a crackle on the other end, then the voice answered.

"I'm aware. You left for the Organization. But I'm also aware that the Organization has fallen. Thus, without that allegiance, I thought you might be willing to aid us in our cause against the STDs." I sighed. Neo, the Emolga on the other end of the call, made a valid point. I had left the ERR because the Organization had offered me work. With the Organization now in shambles, it is only natural to see my allegiance would shift back to the ERR. Clever one, that Neo.

"You're lucky you know me so well. If anyone else had come after me, even Commander Raichu himself, I would have said no. But for you, I'll make an exception." I heard a snicker on the other side.

"I knew you'd come through. You should remember where the nearest safe house is to you. I'll meet you there." There was a click as the call ended. I sighed and stared at the screen of my iPhone.

"Care to explain who that was?" Lonely Road asked, waves of annoyance coming off him. I glanced over my shoulder at the backseat.

"That was a voice from my past. Brynn, take us to the nearest ERR safe house."

"ERR?" Lonely Road frowned. "I only agreed to protect Organization members, not members of the ERR."

"Well that's unfortunate for you, because I'm both. Brynn and I were agents for the ERR during the great Ground Wars. It's only natural in this type of crisis they would call me back into service." I looked at Godiva and Simba. "It was before I adopted either of you. Nevertheless, you can cease your protections of me at any time. I don't require your aid, but I appreciate it." Lonely Road remained silent as the city fell far behind us. The country rose up and silence lapsed over us.

I closed by eyes and remembered the times of the ERR. It had been a rough time for Brynn and I during the Ground Wars. Brynn wasn't trusted and had to be sent undercover. He ended up being safe, but for much of Brynn's mission I had been worried sick about him. I left the ERR after that. Now I was returning and I feared what could happen to us all.

Several hours passed before I felt the car come to a stop. I opened my eyes and looked up to see an empty plot of land with a barn in the distance. I exited the car and began to start towards the barn before realizing I had forgotten something. I went back to the car and opened the console in the middle. In a black case at the bottom where my two mega stones. I picked it up and placed it in a bag. Securing it on me, I left the car and caught up to the others. Brynn locked the car and then we led the way.

"This is an ERR safe house?" Godiva asked, watching us move closer to the barn.

"Out of sight out of mind," I replied simply. I pushed open the barn doors and stepped inside the barn. It was pitch black inside. The five of us treaded inside, and I could tell that besides myself and Brynn, everyone else in our group was on edge. It was reasonable given they were new to this. I wasn't though.

I pushed my paws through the straw that coated the floor. I was searching for a switch and I couldn't remember exactly where it was, but it was around her somewhere. I continued to sift through the straw when I heard a sudden click. I smirked as the floor of the barn disappeared from beneath us and gravity suddenly took hold.

I heard Godiva and Simba scream as we all began to fall and the floor closed above us. We dropped quickly into darkness then suddenly light flooded the tunnel we were in. Beneath the barn was a huge base for the ERR. As far as the eye could see were machines and Pokemon working on various weapons, plans, and who knows what all else. It was a familiar sight that had long ago been an everyday thing for me. I felt a bit of nostalgia but only for a moment as I saw the floor closing in on us.

The wind in the tunnel suddenly picked up from below us and slowed our descent from free fall to a gently landing as we all touched down on the floor below us. The tube we were in slid open with a hiss and I spotted an Emolga awaiting us outside.

"Sloane! Good to see you! Ah and Brynn too. Oh and some new faces. Well the more the merrier. We take all the help we can get. These are dark times after all. Come, Commander Raichu is awaiting your arrival." I stood up and shook off a little, my fur settling back into place. Brynn seemed unfazed by the fall as well, by our other three companions seemed to still be in shock. Simba and Lonely Road took a little over five minutes to recover, but Godiva didn't seem like she'd be back to normal anytime soon, so Simba just carried her.

Neo led us towards the heart of the facility, past experiments and conveyor belts, past pikachu and pachirisu, to the very center where Commander Raichu's office lay. Neo knocked on the door three times, paused, then twice more. There was a gruff "come in" and Neo pushed the green button beside the door. The door made a clanking sound as it unhinged and dropped below the floor. The six of us traveled inside before the door replaced itself and locked itself into place. In front of us, a long wooden desk stood in the center of the room. Behind it was a large black chair and on the wall were several maps, pictures, and files. The chair spun around and in it was seated the Pokemon in charge, Commander Raichu. Brynn, Neo, I immediately saluted him; Simba and Lonely Road caught on in a second, but Godiva was still out of commission so hopefully Commander would excuse that. Commander Raichu stepped down from his chair and stepped out in front of us.

"At ease." We all dropped out salutes. Commander Raichu looked over all of us, a serious look on his face as he surveyed us like pieces of meat being tested for poison. Then a large smile broke across his face. "Well, well, well, I never thought I'd see the day when Agent Sloane returned to the Electric Rodent Regime. I wish it were under different circumstances though. I am sorry for the loss of the Organization, I would like to state that, no matter what, you and anyone associated with you have a home of safety in the ERR." Commander Raichu looked us over again then asked, "Might I ask where your partner is?" My ears drooped and my gaze fell to the floor. Commander Raichu immediately picked up on the unspoken message. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I wasn't aware of the situation." He cleared his throat and walked back to his desk. There was a long pause before Neo finally spoke up.

"Commander, should we explain to them what the plan is?" Commander Raichu nodded his head and pointed to the wall of maps.

"As you have witnessed first hand, these Dittos are everywhere. We haven't exactly figured out how they are infecting people. All we know is that there are different methods behind it. It can be anything from consuming an infected food or drink to just flat out replacement. If we could track a common trend, it would be easier to protect everyone, but this is not so. That's where you come in, Sloane." Commander Raichu turned back around to face us. "We have several leads across the world about the source and possible cures. We've tried to trace them but our agents are somewhat… identifiable in case you hadn't noticed." I knew what he meant. While not all electric rodents were members of the ERR, the vast majority were, so when an electric rodent shows up in a town out of the blue one day, it's a dead ringer that they are more than likely an ERR member. "Our agents get taken out quite easily. We've already lost our two best agents, the Pika Pair themselves, Chakra and Gemma."

I felt the air whoosh out of my lungs as if someone had just punched me right in the gut. That couldn't be true! Chakra and Gemma were both on the side of the Dittos now? They were the best pikachu operatives the ERR had to offer. How had the Dittos gotten to them? Surely if they could take down the legendary Pika Pair, just myself wouldn't be enough against them. Commander Raichu noticed my pained expression and shook his head.

"The reason, we suspect, they were taken down is because they were caught off guard by familiar faces." Commander Raichu pulled a few pictures off the wall. He walked back to his desk and spread them out, signaling for us to come closer. I recognized the Pika Pair immediately. In the first photo, they were exiting what appeared to be a restaurant, and Chakra was carrying a brown bag. The next one showed the two peering down a nearby alleyway, as if they had heard something. They entered the alleyway in the third shot. The fourth shot showed the two being approached by two Pokemon, a flareon and absol. I recognized the two immediately. It was Fate and Xanthe! The next few shots showed Xanthe and Fate catching the Pika Pair off guard and knocking them out before they could attack, then dragging them off.

"These were all we could get of the incident. Our eye in the sky couldn't track the group, claiming they seemed to disappear into thin air. We were not prepared for this kind of tactic, and I had assumed until now that a ditto had merely taken the guise of Xanthe but…"

"Given recent developments, it's very well possible that actually was her, and Fate too," I finished for him. Commander Raichu nodded.

"I plan to split you up into different teams to tackle what leads we can. I'll ensure that you'll have a way to tell friends from foes. Our head scientists are currently working on that and I'll make sure you get your hands on it before you head out. In the mean time, I want you to meet the other three operatives that will be helping out on our missions."