Now for sabotage. Hiroshi reached under the console and retrieved two small, disc-shaped explosive charges from his vest. With quick hands, he armed them and slid them deep behind the server racks where they stuck magnetically among the wiring. A quick tap on his phone set a ten-minute timer on the charges. In ten minutes, this entire archive room – and the precious data cores of the facility – would be reduced to molten slag.
A part of Hiroshi wished he could be there to see the flames consume this evil place, but he had more pressing matters: the children and Pokémon. Casting one last look around the archive, his eyes fell on an open file still displayed on a side monitor – a communication draft addressed to "Ringmaster Prime." It spoke of relocating the remaining experiment subjects by tomorrow, citing that "Asia and Europe operations have been compromised; remaining assets will be consolidated, then eliminated if necessary to prevent capture." They were planning to destroy evidence – likely kill the victims – rather than let the authorities find out. Hiroshi felt a cold chill at those words, followed by relief that he had struck just in time.
They never expected the fox to already be in the henhouse.
He allowed himself a tight, grim smile and slipped back out into the corridor, locking the archive door behind him.
Unleashing the Trap
Red emergency lights began to flicker along the hallway ceiling – the facility was entering lockdown mode. A droning alarm finally blared to life, casting the underground corridors in alternating crimson flashes and shadow. Over the intercom, a stern voice barked in multiple languages, "Security alert. Level B breach. All units secure your stations."
Hiroshi kept his composure, striding briskly through the halls even as scientists and staff hurried about in confusion. To them, he still appeared to be Officer Liu, a figure of authority. In a crisis, people tend not to question the guy who looks like he knows what he's doing. He used that to his advantage, moving against the flow of panicked technicians, heading back toward the laboratory block where the children and Pokémon were held.
At the final security checkpoint before the lab, two armed guards had taken cover behind a desk, rifles in hand. They seemed on edge. One was speaking urgently into his headset, "…yes sir, Level B-3 is isolated. We have orders to secure all research personnel in the safe room… Understood." He glanced up to see Hiroshi (in disguise) approaching and gestured for his partner to hold fire. "Officer Liu! Sir, we have orders to lock down this sector. There's been an intruder—"
Hiroshi raised a hand sharply. "I'm aware. The intruder might be after the lab subjects. We can't let them be harmed." He lied with confident urgency, "HQ says there's also a biohazard risk – we need to evacuate the lab immediately. Do you copy?"
The guards exchanged uncertain looks. "Biohazard? We haven't heard—"
Hiroshi cut him off with a scowl. "Those are direct orders! There's a contaminant leak in the lab. We need to get those kids and specimens out of there before they're exposed. Protocol Zeta – full quarantine extraction." He jabbed a finger toward the lab door. "Open it, now! Or do you want to explain to the commander why you let our prized assets get infected?"
That did it. The mention of explaining failure to the higher-ups made the color drain from the guard's face. "Yessir!" he blurted, and rushed to the door, swiping his keycard and entering a code with trembling fingers. The other guard lowered his rifle, momentarily caught between confusion and dutiful compliance.
The heavy lab door slid open with a hiss. Hiroshi moved behind the guard as if to stride in – then struck with precision. In one fluid motion, he slammed the guard's head into the door frame, rendering him unconscious, and simultaneously drew the sidearm from the guard's holster. Before the second guard could react, Hiroshi whirled and pistol-whipped him at the base of the skull. The man crumpled without a sound. Hiroshi swiftly dragged both unconscious bodies just inside the lab and out of immediate sight, then let the door close behind him.
The laboratory was bathed in the same red emergency glow, casting grotesque shadows across the medical equipment. The children on the tables were stirring in confusion and fear as alarms rang. Two white-coated researchers were still there, scrambling to save their research samples and pack data drives into briefcases. They looked up, startled, as Hiroshi barged in wearing a security uniform.
"What's going on? Where are the guards?" one demanded shakily.
"Change of plans," Hiroshi said, deepening his fake voice to a commanding bark. "We're moving the subjects out, now. You two, assist with the children—"
His sentence was cut off by one of the children suddenly crying out in fear. The little Pidgey had started screeching as the alarms blared, which in turn set off a chain reaction: the Dratini let out a worried trill, the Pikachu's cheeks sparked in panic, and one of the younger boys on a table began sobbing loudly, terrified. The researchers froze in uncertainty.
There was no time to continue the charade. In the commotion, one of the scientists spotted the guards' legs on the floor behind Hiroshi and realized something was wrong. "Wait, who—" he began, reaching into his lab coat perhaps for a concealed weapon or alert device.
He never got the chance. A flash of green and white swept past Hiroshi – Daisy appeared like an avenging phantom. With one graceful motion, the Gardevoir thrust out her arm and a wave of psychic force slammed into the two researchers, hurling them against the wall. They slid down in a daze, eyes rolling back, unconscious from the psychic blast.
Hiroshi exhaled, tension releasing from his shoulders. "Nice timing, Daisy," he said quietly. The Gardevoir gave a small nod, her normally kind eyes hard with focus.
Hiroshi quickly moved to the children. He pulled off his stiff security jacket (revealing the black tactical suit he wore underneath) and draped it over the nearest child – a girl about 8 years old who was shivering violently. Her head was shaved and a faintly glowing pattern ran across her temple. She flinched at first, unsure of who this stranger was. "It's okay," Hiroshi said in a soothing tone quite unlike the harsh bark he'd used moments ago. "I'm here to help you. I'm sorry I scared you earlier." He gently unfastened the leather restraints that strapped her small arms to the table.
Daisy floated to another table where a boy, maybe 6, was whimpering. With a tender gesture, she used her psychic power to undo his restraints, the metallic buckles unfastening on their own. The boy's tear-filled eyes widened as he gazed at the ethereal Pokémon. "Are you an angel?" he whispered, mesmerized by Daisy's serene appearance amidst the hellish red light. Daisy gave him a warm smile and, for just a moment, allowed a soft golden glow of Calm Mind to emanate from her, suffusing the children with a comforting feeling of peace. The boy's crying quieted to sniffles.
Meanwhile, Hiroshi rushed to each table, freeing the rest of the children from their bonds. Some had IV drips or electrodes attached; he carefully removed them, hissing under his breath as he saw the raw wounds and injection sites on their skin. These kids needed a hospital, fast – but first they needed to get out alive.
With the children freed, Hiroshi next moved to the Pokémon cages. Ivysaur emerged from Hiroshi's shadow without even needing a command; the Grass-type had crept in on silent paws behind its trainer the moment the lab door opened. With vines extending from the blooming bulb on its back, Ivysaur began deftly picking the locks of the cages. Hiroshi joined in, using a compact multi-tool from his belt to cut the wires of the electrical collars. He started with Pikachu's cage – the little electric mouse recoiled at first, sparks flying in fear. "Easy, easy… I won't hurt you," Hiroshi cooed softly. The Pikachu's dark eyes met his, wide and distrustful. Its body was battered, and burn marks from repeated shocks marred its yellow fur where the collar had been zapping it. "I know you've been hurt. But I'm here to set you free." Perhaps it was the gentleness of his tone or the calming aura Daisy still projected, but Pikachu hesitated, then gave a tiny nod, or something approximating one. Hiroshi snipped the collar off with a careful cut. The device fell to the floor with a heavy clink, and Pikachu let out a little squeak of relief as the constant stinging pressure on its neck vanished.
In the next cage, the Dratini watched intently. Ivysaur's vines twisted and the cage door popped open. Dratini slithered forward hesitantly. For a moment, Hiroshi was struck by the creature's beauty – even injured and scared, the serpentine Pokémon's sapphire scales glimmered. He reached in slowly to remove a tangle of wires that had been attached to Dratini's small horned head. "There you go, little one," he whispered. The Dratini blinked and made a soft humming sound, almost like gratitude, then quickly coiled around Hiroshi's arm in a brief, cool hug.
Raichu hopped down from the rafters where it had been hiding (ever since slipping inside behind Hiroshi earlier). The evolved electric Pokémon chittered at Pikachu encouragingly, and the smaller mouse Pokémon responded with a weak but hopeful, "Pika!" They touched noses briefly – perhaps a promise of safety and friendship.
One by one, the rest of the Pokémon were freed. The Sandshrew uncurled and looked up at Hiroshi with cautious curiosity. The agent gently scooped the sandy creature into his arms for a moment to set it down on the floor (its tiny legs were weak from long confinement). Sandshrew sniffed his gloved hand, then managed a tiny smile, nuzzling it. The Pidgey fluttered out of its cage despite an injured wing, perching on Ivysaur's back. And the Machop stepped out last, rubbing its wrists where heavy chains had been. This Machop was clearly a fighter; even hurt, it stood protectively in front of the children now gathered together, as if ready to take on the world rather than be caged again. Hiroshi gave the Machop a respectful nod. "You're brave. But let us handle it from here," he said, recalling how the logs mentioned Machop DNA – this one might have endured horrors and yet its spirit remained unbroken.
Suddenly, the lab door handle rattled violently. Bang! Bang! Someone on the other side was pounding or kicking at it. Muffled shouts came: "They're inside! Get the door open!" The metal bar Hiroshi had wedged earlier to slow entry was holding, but it wouldn't for long, not against determined assault or breaching tools.
Time was up.
Hiroshi turned to Daisy and Alakazam, who hovered nearby after finishing with the children. "Plan Echo, now," he ordered, urgency sharp in his voice.