Samuel Oak was downright depressing. In fact, his depression was so severe that Delia felt severely affected just by standing next to him.
"Running stimulation 123," he said in a low voice.
"Um, Professor?" She interrupted, "it's stimulation number 23, it just feels like 123."
"Oh yeah," he rubbed his eyes while handling the controls of the robotic arms, "approaching the subject with an approximate velocity of 5m/s."
Her ears shot up, "Wait, Professor—!"
Before she could finish, a great deal of power shot out of the stelae enclosed behind a glass door. Luckily for the two of them, the glass sheet spared them from most of the explosion but it wasn't enough to keep them still on their feet.
The two of them found themselves hurling across the room. Delia fell on her back, narrowly sparing her head from the leg of the table behind her. Samuel, however, was the lucky one. The explosion send him hurling across the room but he safely fell on the sofa behind them.
"It's millimeter per second!" She screamed while getting up, "it's millimeter per second!"
"Yeah I'm... aware of that," he rubbed his back, "I... you're writing is really—"
"My writing?" She dramatically gasped back, "my writing is fine genius! We've done this twenty-three times you ought to be aware that the omega unown mistakes us for predators whenever we approach at a speed above millimeter per second! Where is your head!"
Samuel slipped his hands inside his pocket and looked at Delia with puppy-dog eyes and said, "I'm... not in the mood."
"Not in the mood?" She repeated for a hysterical effect, "get your head in the game, professor! We have to figure this puzzle out before your son, grandson and my son catch one of these!"
"Well... tell them how you did it then?"
She clenched her fist, "Every situation is different! When Spencer and I discovered the stelae, it was sleeping! We woke it up a few days ago! Come on man!"
Delia sat down on the sofa, shaking with disappointment.
Samuel wanted to comfort her but the last time he'd tried doing so, he was yelled at and made target practice for a game of darts but with a glass bottle and electronic items.
Delia's eyes traveled to her wristwatch which read 4 in the morning, she rubbed her eyes before getting up. "I'm called to the control center, I'll meet you tonight."
Ailsa had called her at four am sharp, but she was probably going to be ten minutes late. It wasn't Delia's fault, at least not until she looked at the wider picture, her research was just so much more interesting.
The m-unowns were completely new to the world of the research, they'd surfaced after thousands of years. All she knew was that whatever power they harboured, wasn't heard or seen for the past thousand years. They were going in blind, it was enthralling.
Her eyes were met with darkness when she opened the door to the control center. The only visibility was due to the lights radiating out of the various gadgets and spy equipment.
Ailsa was leaning towards a screen, an ominous expression was spread on her face. As soon as Delia entered, her glance darted towards her.
"So nice of you to finally join me," she remarked sarcastically, "come, sit down." She was pointing towards the chair in front of her. "Now!"
Delia hurried towards her and quickly sat down, Ailsa immediately strapped a pair of headsets on her head.
"What the—" exclaimed Delia.
In front of her was a radar, it showed three green dots and various obstacles looking things. Delia glanced back at Ailsa who had a worried yet passive expression on her face.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"You're the control center," Ailsa said, "this is Elementary team three, they're in Paril."
"Paril?" Repeated Delia, "the lost city of the Orre?"
Ailsa nodded, "They're on their way back home with two unowns, but we are sensing involvement from the Apocalypse. We're using satellite mapping to get a broader view and they found this area, you're gonna help them come back. Do it now."
"But I— I've never done this before!"
"There is a first time for everything." She pointed towards the screen.
Delia took a deep breath and switched on the headset.
"Haldfest? This is Elementary three leader Em, we need immediate assistance!"
"Um... this is Delia— I mean Haldfest, umm... team leader move straight!"
A sound of heavy footsteps echoed in the background.
"Turn... um...." they stood at crossroads, both of the roads were in different directions.
"Speak, Team Leader!"
Delia looked helplessly at Ailsa who just nudged her forwards.
"Right!" She said instinctively, "right! Turn right!"
The struggle went on for quite some time, Delia was dead afraid the whole time but as time passed, she gained some confidence. It seemed to be going good for quite a few minutes, her instincts were correct almost every single time.
Until she recognized the second set of footprints.
"Leader Em act fast!" She said, "they're right behind you! Take left!"
"Are you sure? The right path is more—"
"Take left!" She screamed, "it's shorter and much safer, hurry!"
"Come on, guys!"
They ran yet again. Delia moved the screen further, the left path was the ideal choice, it was shorter and the exit was just a few meters away.
A frown etched on her forehead as the footsteps stopped.
"Why did you stop moving?" She asked.
"The path is blocked... the path is blocked!"
Horror dawned on her face. How could have the path been blocked? It showed on the radar that there was a way ahead, a clear way, a straightway. To them, she was useless, worthless. If only she were on the ground... if only...
She looked back at Ailsa with pleading eyes. "Help me!" She covered the mix of her headset, "please!"
"This is your mission," Ailsa said firmly, "you're responsible for them. What would you do if it was you down there!"
"Haldfest! Tell us what to do!"
"What is the blockage?"
"Looks like collapsed stones."
"How big is it?"
"We can get past but it'll take time! We don't have time!"
Delia anxiously bit her lip, she stuttered for a moment before asking, "Describe the place to me, quick!"
"Um... it's a narrow passage with pillars."
Her eyes lit up in a ting of hope. "Are they load-bearing?"
"I... I think so."
"How many are there?"
"Two at every meter."
"How good is your aim, team leader?"
"Very."
"Okay, do exactly as I say. I want you to shoot the pillar around the last turn when I say, give it your full strength."
"The ceiling will collapse on us!"
"It won't," she assured, "if there are two at every meter, each stone is supported by its pillar, you'll have to run very fast leader, very fast."
There was utter silence on the other end.
"Copy."
A smile crept Delia's lips as she shouted, "Go!"
Shots echoed in the background, a few cries and screams echoed in the air as the sound of tumbling stones grew louder. The little red dots on the radar stood still, Delia heaved a sigh of relief.
"Team leader?"
There was nothing but static on the other end.
"Team leader?!"
The sound of static grew louder, her heart was beating so loud it's heartbeat was audible.
Come on, she urged, come on, comes on!
"Copy!"
She sighed in relief.
"We have a man down! His legs are caught under the ceiling!"
"Get him out then!" She cried, "get him out, they... the Apocalypse is all dead."
She heard the grunt and cries of both the leader and the man caught under the stones, she checked the radar for further intrusions but so far they were none.
But then, one light beeped from the furthest corner, and then there was another and another and another.
"Act fast!" She yelled, "there are multiple intrusions!"
"We can't! James's legs are crushed!"
Of course, the name of the fallen soldier had to be James. Either this was all part of Ailsa's twisted plan or Arceus's.
Why would they torture her like that?
"He's compromised," Ailsa spoke through her headset, "ask him to initiate Plan tooth and get out of there."
Delia looked back with horror dawned on her face. "You want James to drink the poison?" Her voice was heavy with the sentiment, "No one is dying today Em, work faster! You'll get out of there, I promise!"
"But Haldfest!"
"It's an order!"
"Copy!"
She wasn't going to let James died, at-least not again.
But wishful thinking was a lot different than a real action. However, the two did share a striking similarity, they never worked, at least not for Delia. The next sound she heard were murderous screams and shots of the laser. There was static on another side, the green dots on the screen were still.
"No...no... please!"
The voice wasn't of team leader Em.
"Please don't kill me I have a family please don't—"
A single shot echoed in the air.
Delia sat still staring at the monitor for what seemed to be hours. Elementary team three was dead, all four of them. Just because she'd chosen to save one person they all died.
James had died once again on her watch.
A sigh escaped from Ailsa's lips as she shut down the monitor. She took off her headset and placed it gently on the table right next to Delia.
"Better luck next time," she whispered slowly as she made her way out of the room.
But before she could leave, Delia stood up. "You... you did it on purpose..."
Ailsa stopped in her tracts.
"...you... the... his name was James... you brought him here to torture me... didn't you? You... you sick... you sick bitch."
Ailsa turned back, she had a frown etched on her face. Delia was too busy to notice the sudden change in her expression, it didn't carry the usual snarl or smirk... it showed sympathy. "Even I didn't know his name was James, Delia." Her voice was filled with empathy.
"You... you could've chosen to help him..."
"I did help you, I suggest Plan Tooth didn't I?"
"There was another way... they could've..."
"They couldn't have all gotten out," said Ailsa, "it wasn't possible."
"It was possible you sick bastard!" She burst out in anger, tears streamed down her eyes, "you killed them! You killed them! You killed James!"
Ailsa didn't retaliate, allowing Delia to let out her anger. The silver haired stood at the entrance of the dark room as the brunette threw curses and insults at her, calling her names and tossing blame left in right. Ailsa merely folded her hands and stared at her.
By the time Delia was finished, she sank, her eyes overflowing with tears.
"Are you done?" Ailsa asked rhetorically, "I don't enjoy your pain, Delia, no matter what you think." A sigh escaped her lips as she retraced her steps back to Delia. She sat down next to her, her heart heavy with the recent loss.
"Do you know why I asked you to lead?"
Delia shook her head.
"Because you're... you're me," she said with a sigh, "you weren't born in Xovier but the determination in your eyes... it reminded me of me. I'm getting old Delia, but this war... it stops for none. I'm going to have to pass the torch someday, I asked you to stick with me because I want you to know how things are done. Wars aren't won by emotions Delia, they're won by logic. If you'd agreed to initiate Tooth, they would've been alive right now... I know how you're feeling."
"You have no idea!"
Ailsa smiled, "It's killing you, eating you alive from inside out. You feel like you're going to die but you won't, you're strong, girl. You're me."
"I... I don't ever want to be like you! I don't want this!"
"I said the same thing yet here I am."
Delia sniffled, "What made you change your mind?"
"Same as yours, you lost James, I lost... my brother. I'm here to avenge him, I've been avenging him for decades but this war never stops... it goes on and on. I've lost people after people, it hurt me like it's hurting you right now, the pain, it's eating you alive from inside out."
"You don't know pain as I do..."
Ailsa leaned against the table, a sigh escaped her lips as she said, "You weren't the only one who lost James. Do you think I enjoyed watching him being buried under the ground? You think I enjoyed watching his... his bloodied body? Or you lying unconscious on the bridge of your death or your baby boy barely alive? I know exactly how you feel, Diane Kets, I know exactly how you feel."
Delia had stopped crying. Ailsa wasn't a bitch now that she thought of it, she never was. She was just a woman trying to win a war which no man was capable enough to.
She wasn't a hag, she was a lady. Her decisions weren't destructive, they were just for the greater good.
"How... how do you cope with it?"
Ailsa smiled and got up, she turned around to leave but just as she reached the door, she turned back. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, Diane Kets, remember it."