Eddies

Chapter 36: Emergency.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Eddies 36 - Emergency

Perched on a rocky outcropping overlooking the green valley below, Bill sat with Shadow in the shade of an overhanging eucalypt, waiting for the call through time.  Five days had passed since they had made their night time escape, and he was really starting to feel the stress.  They'd managed to find a break in the trees on all occasions bar one; the previous night when a helicopter circling the area came just that too close for comfort, sending them scurrying back into the dense bush. 

Even so, the persistence of their pursuers was starting to shit him off, and by the way Shadow was giving him discrete looks, it was starting to show.  He leaned back, tired and annoyed, letting out a sigh before reaching to his side where she sat, stroking her between the ears and teasing her fur until she let out a rumbling purr of appreciation.

"Doesn't take much to keep you content then" he joked down at her, and she rolled her head to the side to give him a look, rumbling back in pokespeak "Feels good.  Don't knock it!"

Bill laughed, ruffling her head firmly, and causing her to complain grumpily at the mistreatment.  To escape his fingers, she rolled and sat up abruptly, cocking her head as she heard the distant whine of rotor blades from yet another helicopter.  Frowning, she turned to her partner, nodding towards the noise and said "Persistent!  They not have better things to do?"

Bill nodded dryly, moving to the side to make room for her to drop besides him, as she sat on her haunches regarding the distant scenery absently.  He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, giving her a hug, and said "You're holding out OK?"

Nodding, she replied "Want soft bed!  Cold here at night."

Bill grinned again.  "Well, you could always share the tent with the charmander.  He's a walking hot water bottle," he said, before dodging the swipe of her paw as she gave him a thump. 

"It's OK.  Have you for that!" she stated, flashing him a toothy smirk as he went to give her a playful push...

...only to freeze as a scream came from the direction of their camp, startling the pair from their play.

"What was that?" Bill started, but Shadow was already on the case, springing up to sprint in the direction of their latest camp.  Bill cursed at her speed, knowing he'd never keep up on foot, so jumped into the RV and hurried after her in a cloud of dust.

When they made the camp, they found a white faced Jimmy sitting on the ground near his tent, alongside an irate charmander, whose tail was ablaze in anger.  Before them was what appeared to be a scorched stick, although even as he watched, it writhed further, causing Azil to send another fireball into it.

Leaning down over the kid, Bill pried his hands away from his leg, where they were wrapped around his calf, just above his ankle.  Visible was two distinct puncture wounds, bleeding sluggishly, and the area was already showing signs of localised swelling.

"Shit!" said Bill helpfully, eyeing the snake bite with concern.  When a noise alerted him that Shadow had approached behind, he glanced over his shoulder to see the Luxray carrying their first aid kit in her mouth.  Accepting the kit gratefully, he sprung the catch, grabbing several elastic bandages from within, and tightly wrapping the wound, immobilising the area using several straight branches from their firewood pile.  During the triage, Jim kept silent, only wincing as the bandages were tightened.  But as Bill closed the ends with clips, he muttered "It was in the tent!  I didn't see it when I went back in there.  Azil tried to pull me out, but it went past me through the entrance, where he fried it."

Bill looked at the now still charred, and obviously dead, snake, and asked "Did you see what it was?"

"Brown snake." was the reply, and Bill winced. 

Shit shit shit shit shit!

As his training kicked in, his mind calmed and he rapidly considered their options.  In their travels around the area, making it back to the farm was difficult.  It was a good three hours away minimum, and with the area in between so sparsely populated, seeking help from that direction was not a possibility.

That left...

Shit!

Azil stormed over, spouting off a long string of pokespeak which Bill barely managed to translate.  There were enough curse words within it to even raise his eyebrows, but the charmander was only cursing himself for not being faster, and recognising the danger.

Bill put a hand on his shoulder, stopping the flood, and told the now-miserable pokemon it wasn't his fault.  These things happen, and they had to now deal with it.

Turning back to Jimmy, Bill sighed and said "Closest help will be Smithtown, which will take us about an hour to reach.  We can't make the farm in time, and you clearly need antivenin."

When Jimmy made to rise, Bill pushed him back, instead scooping up the kid and unceremoniously dumping him in the passenger seat of the RV.  When he complained about abandoning his gear, Bill swore "Leave it!", but saw Azil returning with the kids backpack, jumping into the rear of the vehicle with his prize.  With Shadow taking up her regular position behind his seat, Bill gunned the engine and began the long, rough trek back to civilisation.

The nearest exit from the State forest placed them about five kilometres from the town.  By the time they hit the smoother gravel road at the forest exit, Jimmy was pale and sweating profusely, gripping the Jesus bar of the RV in tight fingers.

Bill had considered attempting to radio ahead, but the secrecy of their situation prevented him.  Even so, he reached for the mike on more than one occasion, each time deciding against it. 

But as they approached the town, the dilemma as to his next move became clear.  With the vehicle open as it was, and clearly not "road registrable", their entrance would attract unavoidable attention.  So would the large blue and black feline in the rear, not to mention the charmander, who had flatly refused to return to his pokeball under any circumstance, until Jimmy had been treated.  Pleading and threatening the orange lizard had been to no avail, and in the end he'd relented to the stoic reptile.  Hell, given he was a quarter the size of Shadow, he really was the least of their issues.

Shadow, too, had refused to be left behind.  She told him, in no uncertain terms, of her thoughts on his suggestion she keep to the forest for her own safety, and in the end refused to debate it further.  He gritted his teeth, but had little choice but to accept her decision.  At least she had agreed to cover herself and Azil in the spare tarp used to cover the load, and promised to stay under cover until they'd gotten Jimmy to safety.

The main street of Smithtown, population 2270, was surprisingly deserted.  A glance at his watch revealed the reason; Sunday morning clearly wasn't a booming time for the country town's centre.  Even so, Bill kept a keen eye out for anyone thinking they were suspicious, especially authorities.  He let out a sigh of relief when they made it to the car park of the small clinic which doubled as emergency hospital facilities for the locals, without incident.

Grabbing the kid in his arms, he admonished the two pokemon to keep a low profile, before carrying Jimmy into the building.  Shadow exchanged a glance with Azil, who shrugged and nodded, dropping down under the cover of the canvas as they waited for the humans to return.

But even after a few minutes, the vehicle became a roasting oven.  While Bill had parked under a tree, the midday sun still streaming through the leaves beat down on their concealment with unrelenting heat, and Shadow was soon panting from the exposure.  Azil handled it better, his reptile body and natural attraction to heat and fire keeping him in good stead.  But as he noticed Shadow's condition deteriorate, he turned to the Luxray and announced he was finding somewhere cooler to hide.

Under other circumstances, Shadow might have objected, but with her temperature soaring, she found herself following the charmander, slipping from the rear of the RV to slink behind him as he made for a small copse of dense trees in a nearby park.  They made the concealment without discovery, and Azil was sharing a water bottle he'd snagged from the vehicle with her, when a voice broke out behind them, startling the pair so that Azil dropped the water bottle in shock, sending the spilt liquid soaking into the sandy soil beneath.

"Hi Charmander!"

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Thankfully, as Bill rushed the youth into the doctor’s office, the receptionist on duty didn't ask him for anything difficult.  Assessing the situation with experienced eyes, she immediately grabbed the phone, ringing the doctor on call, who promised to be down within a few minutes.

Sitting besides the hospital bed, Bill watched as the nurse hooked him up to a saline drip, talking calmly to Jim as she triaged the wound.  She left momentarily, heading for the hospital stores for antivenin, even as the doctor arrived in a flurry of white coat tails.

Within ten minutes they had him stabilised and resting, and the doctor asked Bill to return to the main reception to take a seat, as he completed the paperwork.

After a few more minutes, the nurse returned to the front office, taking the clipboard from the officer and idly scanning the info he'd provided.  Necessarily sketchy, given his limited knowledge of the kid, thankfully she didn't query the missing details, instead taking at face value his cover story that he'd been taking his "nephew" camping.

While he waited for news, Bill became more concerned for the welfare of the two pokemon he'd left in the RV.  At the least, it was scorching hot out there, and even the shade he'd parked in was limited.  Finally, he excused himself, citing the need to check on his "dogs", and received a vague wave from the nurse in reply.

Relieved, he headed out the door and across the gravel parkway to the RV, lifting the edge of the canvas up to see how they were doing.

The RV was empty.

Shit!

Eyes rolling at the situation rapidly spiralling out of control, Bill glanced around frantically for the pair, seeing nothing that might give away their position, until he spotted a lone pair of kids running through the park opposite, to disappear into a large clump of trees at the park's rear.

Oh, they didn't! He swore, striding rapidly across the dense grass to the trees edge, to hear the quiet chatter of excited children from within.

Groaning, he bent down and pushed his way through the branches, to find himself in a sizeable open area within the shade.  Inside, surrounded by a half dozen wide eyed kids, sat Shadow and Azil, the latter holding Jimmy's DS linked to a similar device being played by a red haired boy sitting opposite.  As their collective eyes rose at his sudden appearance, eyes wide as they regarded the large man who'd sprung them, Bill let out a breath of relief, before turning on Shadow and asking her why she hadn't stayed in the RV.

"Hot!" she replied, as the faces of the kids turned from him to her, as they talked in pokespeak.  He was about to continue, when one girl, all of seven years of age, pointed at him and said in a high pitched voice "You talked to Luxray!  I heard you!"

At a loss for words, Bill froze, before being inundated with a mass of questions from all directions...

"Where did they come from?"

"Are you their trainer?  Do you battle much?"

Throwing up his hands, Bill stopped them in their tracks.  "Look, I'll answer what I can, but it's really important no one knows they're here!"

"Why?" demanded the first girl, hands on hips.

Bill rolled his eyes, and said "Because if people found out, they might be taken away and you'd never see them again!"

That shut her up, as she looked from him to the two pokemon intently.  Finally, her decision made, she turned to the others and said "Don't tell no one, OK!"

One boy, markedly larger than her, made to object, until she waved a fist in his face and stated "Tell no one!"  At the show of bravado, he relented, backing away from her to sit next to Azil with a thud.

She turned back to Bill and said "I'm Jill.  Who are you?"

Bill grinned wryly, and said to their erstwhile leader "I'm Bill.  I work for the police department"

"You're a cop?" she demanded, eyeing him in disbelief.

Nodding, he reached into his back pocket, pulling his wallet and showing the intrigued kids his badge.

At that, Shadow interjected.  "Good kids.  Keeping quiet."

Bill nodded absently, reaching across to give her head a rub.  "Yeah, Shadow.  I can see that.  I just hope things don't get even more complicated."

He was interrupted by Azil, who looked at him plaintively, game forgotten, and said "Jimmy?"

Bill gave the pokemon a reassuring smile.  "He should be fine.  Hopefully, they'll let him out in a few hours."

As the kids crowded around, Azil looked first relieved, then shrugged and went back to challenging his new friend on the DS.  Shadow accepted the hands rubbing her fur well enough, although rolled an eye at Bill when the petting became a bit much.  Her partner just grinned back, telling her she got herself into the situation, so she should put up with it.  He then spent the next twenty minutes answering the kid’s questions as well as he could, obviously keeping the more important details secret.  Even so, he was surprised at their insight, not to mention knowledge of pokemon in general.

Kids will be kids, he mused, even as he glanced at his watch, realising he needed to head back to the clinic to check on Jimmy.

Explaining this to the kids wasn't as difficult as he imagined.  Country kids were a lot more stoic than their sheltered city counterparts, and when he told them of the snake bite incident, a few nodded thoughtfully, before Jill said "It's OK, mister.  We'll look after them."

Chuckling, he told Shadow to behave, which got him a dry look in response, before pushing through the bushes to head back to the clinic....

...only to see a police car parked beside their RV, a pair of curious officers, their backs turned to him, examining the odd vehicle parked in front of the clinic.

Oh crap!  As if the day hadn't gone bad enough, he swore, slinking back into cover and rejoining the group sequestered there.  At his return, the luxray gave him a worried look, which became a frown as he explained the situation.

Given he'd spoken in English this time, his words were interrupted by Jill, who had been listening in intently. 

"We'll help!"

Ready to object, Bill made to speak, then shut his mouth with a snap as he reconsidered their situation.  It wasn't as if they had a lot of choice in the matter.  Given their current fugitive status, the reality was that, any help they could get would be appreciated, if not outright needed!

Pondering, he looked down at the sandy haired head before him, nodding at her eager expression.  "Alright, but you do exactly as I say, alright?  If I say leave, you leave; no questions, and no argument!"

As the heads before him nodded, he gave them their chores.  One group was to start a ruckus at the far end of the playground, while a second were to run to the police, telling them there was a "bad fight" happening.  When the coast was clear, Bill, Shadow and Azil would make for the RV, ensuring the police vehicle was out of action so they couldn't be pursued.

At this, the charmander interrupted.  "But what about Jimmy?" he demanded, head cocked to the side.

Bill sighed, dropping to a knee before the pokemon, and said quietly "He'll be safe enough here.  We can't take him with us, and he needs the medical care these people will give him.  He's going to have to stay.  I'm sorry."

Azil huffed up, ready to object, before deflating in defeat.  The reality of the situation couldn't be avoided, and even though his eyes welled with tears, he nodded at Bill, who gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

"We'll be back for him, kiddo, I promise." said the officer reassuringly, and the charmander nodded, perking up and determined to play his part.

After a last final pet of Shadow, and promises to return, the kids sprinted to their respective positions.  Bill and the two pokemon pushed their way through the brush to the edge of the copse of trees, squatting in the foliage ready to sprint to the RV.

The noise alerted them first; a loud ruckus of cries and screams, emanating from the far reach of the park.  Even as they watched, the officers stationed near the RV looked up in alarm, further excited as the second group of kids reached them, reporting the fight in progress.  As the pair of officers sprinted towards the source of the noise, once they had a clear run, Bill, Shadow and Azil bolted from the cover of the trees towards their vehicle.

Even as they made the side of the RV, relieved to reach the protection of the shelter, a hiss from Shadow had Bill spinning, to confront a third officer, standing behind the squad car and gawking at the three of them wide eyed.  Cursing, Bill stepped forward, just as the woman reached for her firearm.

She was too slow, though, to avoid the static blast from Shadow that sent her flying backwards, gun spinning from her numb grasp as she hit the dirt in a cloud of dust.  Bill swore again, turning to the pokemon to berate her, but she'd controlled the blast perfectly.  Even as he opened his mouth, out of the corner of his eye Bill saw the officer sit up, a stunned expression on her face, as Azil reached her side, picking up the pistol in his claws gingerly and returning to Bills' side, where he offered the weapon to the human with solemn eyes.

Unfortunately for the trio, the situation hadn't gone unnoticed.  The echo of the blast had rocked through the car park, and curious onlookers were even now sticking heads from doors and windows of nearby buildings to look for the source of the disturbance.

What they clearly didn't expect, was a large blue and black feline, an orange lizard, and a policewoman struggling to her feet, eyeing the pokemon in wide eyed fear.

Bill groaned, looking across the park where the pair of male officers were sprinting back towards the scene.  Even as they paused, several screams from the spectators were let loose as Shadow moved to glare at them, causing even more turmoil.

Bill attempted to placate the female officer, but she had eyes only for Shadow, who stood against the RV trying to blend into the camo paintwork.  When that didn't work, she hissed in displeasure, joining Bill as the pair of officers took cover behind their car, pistols drawn and pointed at the trio.

The standoff lasted several long moments, as Bill thought valiantly how to salvage something from the disastrous situation.  When he was called on to drop the weapon, he did so, kicking it beneath the RV to ensure at least one of them didn't have a weapon beaded on them.

"Look!" he shouted above the turmoil, as people began mobbing the street around them.  "I'm a police officer, for fucks sake!!"

"Put your hands behind your head and get on your knees!" was the reply, and he looked grimly at Shadow, whose furious scowl and static charge crossing her fur told him things weren't going to go down well from that moment.

At least, until they were surrounded by a group of kids, springing up from nowhere, who stood before the trio, acting as a barrier to the weapons aimed at them.

As the policewoman took the time to make a break for safety, the other officers screamed at the kids to get out of the way, one frantically waving an arm as if that'd clear them out.

The kids stayed, as Jill stepped forward and shouted "You won't hurt our friends!!  Leave them alone!  They didn't hurt you!"

Bill glanced from the crowds to the officers, who had lowered their weapons slightly.  Shooting huge felines may have been OK, but aiming at kids clearly wasn't good PR.

That's all the opportunity Shadow needed.  With a roar, she let loose a further static shock, bolts of blue electricity rising above the squad car before plunging downwards to their targets, sending both officers flying, and the crowd screaming as they dashed madly from the scene.

Bill wasted no time; he raced past Shadow and the kids, recovering both weapons, even as the pair made a sluggish recovery.  Squatting down before them, he removed the magazines from both pistols, ejecting the loaded cartridge from the chamber, and flipped the empty glocks around, handing them back to the speechless officer.

One, grasping the returned revolver in one limp hand, began "Whaa... whaaat?"

Rolling his eyes, Bill handed the man his badge and ID, which was stared at vacantly, until the officer recovered enough to examine the paper properly.  Looking to his partner, he handed the ID over, even as the kids crowded around the two pokemon, continuing to shield them from harm.

Bill grimaced, recovering his ID and said "Now, if we're past the stupidity, I'm willing to explain everything."  Scowling, he continued "But if you try and shoot Shadow again, I think you'll find you will need more than a few minutes to recover.  So, keep those weapons holstered, for the kid’s safety if nothing else."

Pointing at the kids mobbing the pokemon, he said "Hell, if a group of kids cannot shit themselves around them, I'd hope you three can manage similar."

Even as he received a bemused nod in reply, Bill reached out a hand and drew the closest officer to his feet.  As the man dusted himself off, his two partners cautiously joined him, eyes intent on the two fantastic creatures before them.

Eyeing the crowd now cautiously returning, Bill groaned.  So much for keeping things secret, he thought with a wince.  Pointing to the clinic entrance, he said quietly "How about we retreat to somewhere a little more private?"

It didn't take much to cajole the three policemen to follow him, even as they were joined by the two pokemon, and their juvenile band of defenders.

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Bill was half way into his abridged explanation, when his mobile phone rang.  Cursing, he left off his lengthy story, to stare down at the "anonymous" number flashing on the screen. 

Who the hell knew this number, let alone they had the phone with them?

This was getting worse and worse!

He pressed the screen to accept the call, bringing the phone to his ear even as Cameron's voice came over the line.

"Bill.  You lot still OK, I hope?"

Bill's shoulders relaxed, the tenseness he'd been holding in suddenly gone.  Grinned broadly, he brought the phone from his cheek and pressing the speakerphone button.  "Yessir!  Good to hear your voice!"

A chuckle came from the speaker as his boss continued.  "It's been an interesting few days, son.  I'll fill you in when you get back here."

Bill paused, eyeing the three policemen who were listening in intently.  "Umm, we’ve had a bit of a situation with some local officers, Sir.  We were forced into Smithtown this morning when Jimmy received a snake bite."  Sighing, he continued.  "I'm sorry, Sir.  It was unavoidable."

A noticeable pause occurred before Cameron replied.  "I understand, Bill.  I trust your judgement.  Is the situation under control?"

Looking from the policemen, to the clinic full of kids, with Shadow and Azil standing behind them, and the many faces pressed against the clinic windows and locked doors, staring in from outside at the  spectacle occurring within, Bill crossed his fingers and said "We're working on it."

The line paused again, as Cameron chewed over the response.  Finally, he said "Can the officers there with you hear me?"

Bill advised him they could.

In a sterner voice, Cameron said "I am Area Supervisor Cameron Marshke.  In case you are unaware of whom I am you can consider me your boss, several times removed.  The officer before you, as well as the two creatures under his control, are to be treated with every respect and courtesy while in your care.  They are part of a critical counter-terrorism mission being conducted in the area, and I will NOT be happy if I find they have encountered any "issues" arising from other officers under my jurisdiction.  Do I make myself clear?"

One of the offers made to object, but was nudged by his colleague, who spoke up quickly and said "Yes, sir!"

Cameron continued.  "I want them returned here to our operation base as a matter of urgency!  They know where to go.  I expect you can arrange that post haste!  I will be in touch with your station supervisor to make sure they understand the importance and urgency of the matter, as soon as this call is over.  You can contact them to confirm these orders within the hour."

The three nodded, and one left the room by the clinic door, unlocking and exiting the building to arrange things via their car radio.

Bill gave a sigh of relief, and asked the question that had plagued him since Cameron rang.  "One thing, Sir.  What about the military, and the choppers?"

"Sorted," said Cameron. "They've decided to play nice, or suffer the consequences.  Shadow will have nothing to answer for; I've seen to that."

Bill looked across at the huge feline with obvious relief.  Her answering grin made it clear she'd caught the reply.

"OK, we'll be a few hours, Sir.  See you back at the farm house".

"Understood.  Over and out."

Slipping the phone back into his pocket, Bill couldn't help letting out a whoop of joy, startling everyone present, including the two remaining policemen who jumped in surprise. Even as the kids crowded close, Bill turned to the pair of pokemon and said happily "It's over!  We'll check on Jimmy, and then... well, then we're going back to base!"

The relief on their faces was palpable.

At last!

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Authors note:

And... enough of all that stuff!  Back to the real story...

Next few weeks are chaos for me.  Delays may be expected.

But will update as soon as I can.