Giovanni checked his watch as the stainless steel elevator glided silently past the many levels of the Team Rocket Headquarters. 1:44 AM. Six minutes before he was due to arrive at the lab. He smiled at the little silver second hand, ticking away with a rhythmic clicking noise. He was a very punctual man, never late for meetings. As the leader of the Team Rocket organization, he had to set an example for his staff.
You are requesting access to Level Negative 5-R, A woman's voice came through an overhead speaker. Voice identification required. Please state your name and rank.
"Giovanni," he said calmly, looking at the dome-shaped security camera facing him. "Team Rocket Boss." Thank you, the voice replied. With a nearly silent whirring noise, the back wall opened up and plush, velvet seats a dark hibiscus color slid into place. Giovanni took a seat, and fastened himself in using a silver seat belt.
Preparing underground access to Level Negative 5-R Lab, the woman's voice came again. Initiating countdown sequence. 10. 9. 8. 7. 6.
Giovanni shifted around a bit more, trying to find a comfortable position to stay in when the pressure hit. The underground elevators were the fastest way to travel, and they were usually reserved for the higher ranking Team Rocket officers.
However, in exchange for the high-speed travel and luxurious accompaniments, there was an incredible amount of force forced upon the riders. You couldn't ride more than three in one day, unless you wanted to risk blowing your ears out. Since Giovanni didn't want to arrive at the lab with his suit covered in blood, he had forfeited the elevators for the day.
3. 2. 1. 0. Elevator lines ready for transport. Initiating launch to Level Negative 5-R Lab, the voice came on. Giovanni shut his eyes in anticipation for the sudden jolt to signal his departure. He was not disappointed. The shuttle groaned, and then took off at a breakneck speed down the tunnels into the dark.
The ride to the lab was long and tedious. Every so often, Giovanni had to reach up and clear his ears to relieve them of the pressure buildup. The reason it was such a long journey was because the lab had been constructed in a cave under the Seafoam Islands, rumored to be the resting place of a legendary Pokemon.
The lab had been the most secret of secretive plans, with only a select round table of Team Rocket Operatives let on about its construction. Fewer still knew what it was actually used for.
Giovanni had intended for Lab R to be a facility where next-generation technology and experiments were conducted and experimented with. But, there was one final piece of the pie. Something that set Lab R apart from the rest.
In this lab, Giovanni wanted to delve deeper into genetic engineering and editing the DNA of Pokemon. And not just any ordinary Pokemon, either. Oh, no. Regular Pokemon weren't good enough to be apart of this project.
For this particular experiment, Giovanni wanted to edit and combine the genetic material of legendary Pokemon. He wanted to combine and piece together the perfect match of Pokemon to make the ultimate weapon. Something so powerful, that it could destroy the world. And for this first test, he had a special combination of Pokemon especially reserved.
As the transport shuttle shuddered to a stop, Giovanni unbuckled himself and brushed the wrinkles from his suit. Straightening his tie and fixing a casual business smile on his face, the doors slid open to reveal a pure white room.
It looked like all color had been leeched from the room, from the doors leading to different parts of the lab, to the tables laden with tools used for experiments, to the equipment itself. The uniforms of the scientists were a horrific clash with the white, dark grays and pinks popping out from every part of the room.
"Mr. Giovanni," a young man nodded his head in recognition of his leader. "My name is Agent S. Dr. H sends her warm regards and asks that you wear this while in the lab." S handed Giovanni a small lanyard with a key card attached to one end. "It grants you the highest level of clearance to any room in the lab," S explained when he saw Giovanni's questioning look. "Come, follow me, quickly." He gestured to a door on the left-hand side of the entrance room. "Dr. H is quite excited to show you the progress she's made."
**********
Giovanni followed Agent S through a labyrinth of spotless white tunnels. Through stained white glass, he could see engines of all shapes and sizes being tested for thrust and speed. He also saw weird gizmos and gadgets that even the scientists looked confused wielding.
One looked like a pistol, and shot bullets that exploded in puffs of pink mist before hitting their targets. After the smoke cleared, Giovanni was surprised to see that the men looked distorted. Like he was looking at them through a warped glass window.
"We're experimenting with the essence of weird terrain and the Psychic-type move Confusion," S explained when he saw Giovanni staring. "We're hoping to alter the formula so it confuses the targets who inhale or make contact with the smoke. So far, it's only been in the beta testing phases, but we're hoping to have them in the field by next year."
The continued on further into the building, through repetitive, curving tunnels that sloped downwards, leading even deeper underground. Every so often, a scientist would see them and give nods of respect to Giovanni. He smiled as he saw the new tech being tested. Lab R was even better than he had ever dreamed it could be. He hadn't seen the facility since the start of its construction, and now it was the perfect place to dive right into newer and more powerful forms of technology.
After at least ten minutes of passing window after window of weird gadgets, and watching scientists getting poked and prodded by some weird, altered forms of Pokemon moves, the hall leveled off and straightened out. Now, the tunnel had no windows, and looked like a hallway in a hospital or asylum. At the end of the hall was an enormous steel door that looked like it belonged in a max-security bank, not a science lab.
When they reached the door, Agent S walked up to a keypad on the right-hand side of the door. He quickly punched in a series of numbers, and a small, thin microphone popped out of a slot in the wall. "Special Operative S," he said into it, then cast a quick glance at Giovanni. "And guest," he added.
And, with a great creaking and squeaking of hinges, the huge steel door swung open to reveal the heart of Lab R.
There were scientists everywhere, scurrying around in their bloodred lab coats like oversized Bug-types. The room and all the equipment inside was sleek, shiny, and modern compared to the rest of the labs on the higher floors. Everything, from the microscopes to the beakers looked like they were apart of a science-fiction movie set.
But what really took the cake was the strange machine in the center of the room. It was all white, with a large base shaped like a 3-dimensional semicircle. The second portion of the machine was a cylinder with lots of silver levers and buttons on it. The third piece, and top of the machine, was a sphere with lots of arms sticking out of it. The arms had many different appliances in each one, held by claw-like 'hands' attached to the end of them.
Giovanni looked around in wonder, transfixed by the experiments the scientists were carrying out. One scientist, an ebony-skinned woman with pastel pink hair noticed him, and immediately scurried over. "H-hello, Mr. Giovanni. Sir," she stuttered, adjusting her wire-frame glasses. "I-I'm Operative D. It's an honor to meet you, s-sir."
"Let's skip the formalities, shall we," Giovanni said coldly. "I was told I was needed immediately for important reasons concerning the specimen?"
"O-of course," Operative D said, running to another part of the lab. Agent S risked a quick glance at Giovanni's face. He paled as his sea green eyes were met with the terrifying stare of obsidian ones.
"I was told that I was needed for something important," Giovanni said, his voice barely a whisper. "I was told that Dr. H wanted me to come here because she wanted to share news. Not watching half-witted, mindless yes-men being distracting with their antics to impress me. Now, I want to make this very clear to you, Operative." He bent closer to Agent S, and he shrunk away under his frightening gaze.
"If I am distracted by any other personnel in this lab, I will personally see to it that the rest of your life as a Team Rocket member will be nothing but misery. Is that clear?"
"Crystal," he whimpered, and turned away from Giovanni's glare.
"Mr. Giovanni," another woman, this one with evergreen hair and pale skin. She wore a grey lab coat, signalling her rank. She was the overseer of Lab R. "Captain M," he smiled. "I presume your sister is expecting me?"
"Yes, sir." She gave a look at Agent S. Her stormy grey eyes seemed to intensify with power. He immediately scurried away. Then, turning back to Giovanni, "Right this way, sir."
**********
Stepping into a hallway not unlike the ones before, Giovanni was lead through sparkling white hallways with nothing but doors on either side of him. They too, were spotless. Behind them, countless experiments and research were being conducted about Pokemon, particularly ones of the legendary variety. He started to get the feeling of claustrophobia.
After a brief walk that seemed to last forever, they finally rounded a corner and came upon a door made of solid dark wood. Nodding to the door, Captain M swiveled on her heel and marched back the way she came. Pushing the door open, Giovanni immediately was met with a stark contrast to the rest of the lab.
The walls were a rich mahogany wood, and the floors were wood of some ebony kind. The desk looked vintage and was also wooden, with a felt top the color of an evergreen. On the desk lay countless trinkets and knick-knacks. Behind the desk sat the professor. The brainpower behind Lab R.
"Dr. H," he nodded in greeting. "Wonderful to see you, as always." She was a fairly petite woman, with electric blue hair swept into a mohawk. She also shared the same stormy grey eyes as her sister. He held the professor in extremely high regard, for her brilliant criminal mind and his close proximity to her. She smiled, showing off blinding white teeth. "Giovanni," she smiled, her voice sweeter than honey.
"I'm happy to see you've arrived. And on time, no less. My scientists can be a bit...distracted. I'm just thankful M's helping me out, or nothing would ever get done around here."
"Yes," he said, thinking back to the way M strode around the lab, not quite unlike an army general.
"Doctor, I was told you wanted me to come here for a reason?"
"Yes, yes, my apologies," she said, standing and striding over to a large cabinet, her white lab coat billowing around her as she walked. Bending over so Giovanni could barely see the electric blue hair on her head, she started to twist a combination lock, murmuring little things to herself Giovanni couldn't quite catch.
A satisfying click rang out a second later, and she triumphantly flung open the drawer. She picked up something tiny, then closed and locked the case back again. "Sir," she said, cradling her closed fists to her chest. "I present to you the efforts and investment of Lab R."
She uncurled her hand and there it sat. In a glass case, a delicate embryo, barely the size of Giovanni's pinkie nail. "You're telling me," Giovanni said, looking at the unborn child. "That this kid...is going to grow up into a Pokemon? That's...not possible."
"Correction: It was impossible," Dr. H replied. "I decided to take a risk and combine the genetic material of the Titans with human DNA. That way, when it grows up, it'll be imprinted on you. But, only if it works. We'll only know for certain once we start the incubation process."
"Do you know if the genes will even take effect," Giovanni asked.
"No," the doctor admitted. "But that's the thing about science; the fun part is discovering what works, what doesn't, and how to fix things if they don't. If it doesn't work, it's not like it's the end of the world."
"No," Giovanni reluctantly admitted. "But it'll take awhile to get the DNA of the Titans for a second round. We might be under the caves where Articuno is rumored to live, but they're a labyrinth of frozen caves and frigid rivers. And that's the easy bit.
Getting materials from the other birds, Moltres and Zapdos, is only going to be that much larger of a task. Blistering hot volcanic tunnels...smoldering lava...flying to the very edges of the atmosphere...I won't risk the safety of my agents, no matter how much this mission could progress Team Rocket science."
"Very well, sir," the doctor sighed, walking back to her desk and grabbing a notepad and pen. "We'll start incubating the specimen in the chambers as soon as possible. Is there anything else you want to know or want to happen before you go?"
"I want to know the name of the child whose DNA has been altered," he said, looking down at the little glass capsule. "Well, sir, we think it's going to be a girl, but she doesn't really have a name, just a designation," Dr. H said after a pause. "Her designation is G-1a."
"G-1a," Giovanni murmured, brushing his thumb over the flimsy glass. "G-1a...G-1a...Gia..."