A meeting was going on in Locke's office, and while it ran one of the men who looked like a subordinate came over and said a few words in Locke's ear, his eyes sliding sideways to Nils, who was sitting off to one side.
Locke nodded, and then said, "The rest of you may go. Nils stays. There is something else I want to ask about."
"Sir."
The others answered and filed slowly out, and only Nils was left, sitting there with his nerves in shreds. That man had glanced at him just now — had they found something? He had cleaned the business up. It could not be that.
At the thought of it strength came back into Nils at once, and with it the thought that if he chanced it and won he would rise in the world and be a power in his own right.
"Nils? You have a great deal of nerve."
Locke stood up and smiled coldly, and several of the other men moved as well, shutting the door, closing him in without seeming to.
"I... I don't understand. What are you talking about? What nerve? I've very little nerve at all. If there's anything you want to ask me, Director, ask away — there's no need to frighten me."
*Keep steady,* Nils told himself, but there was sweat coming out on his forehead already.
Because he could feel that the whole air of these men had changed.
It was no longer the mild air of businessmen. It was the air of savage bandits who had killed until they had lost count, and thought no more of a life than of a blade of grass.
"Heh. You dared to kill a technician of ours, of Team Rocket's. How could you not have nerve?"
Locke tugged at his tie, and a vicious edge rose off him of its own accord.
"Team Rocket?"
At the sound of that name Nils's heart came straight up into his throat, and at the same time he went blank.
That Stray Dog had been no ordinary technician, then. He had been Team Rocket's man. Nils had taken him for a nobody, and that was why he had dared let greed get the better of him and kill the man.
"Would you like to know how we found out whom you killed?"
Locke sneered at him again and again, and one of his men produced a coat, and out of the coat something the size of a grain of rice.
"You thought changing your clothes would be the end of it?"
Nils's eyes went wide on the instant. He had been close up against Stray Dog while he was killing him; it had probably been put on him during the struggle. Afterwards he had gone back to his quarters and thrown the clothes straight in to be washed, and had never found the thing at all.
"I... I... I didn't know he was one of yours, one of Team Rocket's."
Knowing it was Team Rocket, Nils went straight down on his knees and did not dare entertain another thought.
"Spare me the noise. Where is the Deino?"
"I hid the Deino."
Nils said it in ruin.
"Heh. What nerve. Alakazam — come and see whether he's telling the truth."
"Alakazam—"
An Alakazam appeared, light coming off its eyes, and had him hypnotised in a moment, and then he told the truth of it.
"You heard him. Get over there quickly and bring the Deino back."
Locke gave his men their orders.
"Sir."
The men answered and withdrew, and went to the place named to fetch the Deino's Poké Ball.
"How can it not be here? We've been over the whole of it."
"No idea. Ask the boss."
With that one of them rang Locke and set the matter out for him.
"That can't be right! Under an Alakazam's hypnosis nobody lies. Keep searching."
"Sir."
They searched a while longer and rang back all the same, to say that they had not found it.
"You had better cooperate and get the Deino back for me. Then I might consider letting you go this once."
"I'll go now, I'll go now."
At the sound of a way out, Nils agreed at once, and came to the place where he had hidden the Poké Ball — and searched it over and over, and it was not there!
In that instant he went blank as well. How could it not be there?
"Alakazam—"
The Alakazam took control of him, and they searched again and again, and still it was not there.
"Damn and blast it!"
Locke swore at him furiously and kicked Nils over on his back.
"Take him away and kill him."
Locke said it slowly, stroking his tie, turned back once more into the mild, cultivated image of a wealthy businessman.
"Mmph, mmph, mmph—"
Struggling all the way, Nils was dragged out by several of the men, and the struggling did him no good.
"So what now, boss? The Gible has been sold, and there are two more buyers coming in soon as well."
"What do you think? Don't worry. I have made other arrangements."
Just then a communicator on him rang, and when he answered it a voice came out of it.
"The Gible is secured. Proceed."
"Good." Setting the communicator down, Locke began to laugh. Now there would be two more pseudo-legendaries — and all the buyer had asked for was pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
Besides which, they might very well not get away with them!
Those two pseudo-legendaries would find their way back into his hands, and the blame could be laid at Jeffrey Thorne's door, and those people could go and make trouble for him.
After all, the man had been in overall charge before, and the responsibility was still his. What did it matter that the information had leaked under a temporary successor?
Afterwards he would manage things a little, run a few successful events, and build the S.S. Anne back up.
That way he could be rid of Jeffrey Thorne and hold the S.S. Anne, come into an enormous sum of money, and gain two pseudo-legendary Pokémon into the bargain.
Ha ha ha. Three birds with one stone. The Boss was bound to think all the more of him after this.
"Tell them to be ready. This has to succeed."
"Sir."
"And look quietly into where that Deino has gone and who has taken it. If you are short of hands you can call in some of 'our own people' to help."
"Understood."
..................
An attendant opened the door of Vance and Nolan's room, carried in two glasses of beer, set them on the table and withdrew.
"The S.S. Anne's own beer. It's not bad at all. Men who sail the seas like this sort. Try it."
Vance picked up one of the glasses without much thought and was about to drink when his keen senses told him there was something inside it.
*A Poké Ball? What's this? How is there a Poké Ball in a glass of beer?*
"Beep, beep, beep—"
Just then the communicator on Nolan's belt sounded, and he hurried to answer it.
Vance took the chance to lift the Poké Ball out and hang it on his own belt.
And his heart was pounding hard.
Because he had found that there was a Pokémon inside this Poké Ball — and that it was a Deino!
Good heavens. He would not have dreamt it. A pseudo-legendary had come running into his glass.
It was past belief!
This was a pseudo-legendary. One of them had gone for a billion not an hour ago!
And yet here was a pseudo-legendary in front of him. How could he not be delighted?
If you want to know what a pleasant surprise is, this is it.
Bless the bounty of nature!
Vance's heartbeat settled slowly and his face stayed perfectly calm.
Nolan, still on his call, noticed nothing; and when the call was over he turned to him with a resigned look and said, "Well. We've got work to do."