"As a police officer, it's occasionally my job to give criminals an option to serving time, and I've found they're often foolish enough to take it." ~Quote taken from the Viridian City Police Chief, 2000
James, Jessie, and the rest of the former members of Team Rocket spent the beginning of the millenium gazing at a television through prison bars. They watched as the world was brought into the New Year, and continued to keep their eyes on the small screen as five nuclear bombs from Johto's military were launched all over the world.
None really cared much as to what would happen to the planet; whatever the outcome, they would all be spending at least a couple years in prison, and that was if they were lucky. The only good thing, in Jessie's point of view, that came out of the ordeal was that their trial was held off for almost three months. The early days of the war were too hectic for any police or citizen to worry about the fate of a simple group of criminals.
Jessie watched the far wall of her cell impassively, the past few months' events running through her brain. War had been declared in almost every country; even the usually peaceful Kanto had announced their involvement a few weeks ago. She couldn't remember the exact death toll as of now, but what with several nuclear bombs having been launched on Johto, then on those countries by Johto's allies, and so on, Jessie suspected at least a few hundred million were already dead.
Officer Jenny, flanked by four male officers, stalked into the Viridian jail with a purpose. She directed them to split to other cells, then made her way over to the far corner. Jenny's eyes looked over the three people and Meowth within the jail, feeling a stab of pity for them. The oldest couldn't have been more than twenty; the youngest less than seventeen. She quickly regained her composure, remembering that these "innocent kids" had wreaked havoc throughout Kanto for years.
Jenny cleared her throat, addressing them in a condescending tone she considered proper for common criminals. "Hey, you four. I have a proposition to make."
Jessie and James walked up to the bars, taking their time to make sure Jenny knew she wasn't important enough for them to hurry. Mondo and Meowth followed shortly; all four sets of eyes, from catty black to emerald green, bore into Jenny's with a hatred the officer wasn't used to.
Jessie, who was considered the unofficial spokesperson of the group, answered Jenny. "What do you want?"
The female police officer recoiled slightly, surprised by the distaste in the Rocket's voice. She recovered quickly, trying to pull herself up higher than the tallest of the group, James, and failing miserably. "Er, as you know, the war has been ravaging the world since January, and a little while ago Kanto became involved as well." Silence. Jenny took that as a sign to continue. "So, anyway, because of that there are a lot of people- terrorists and the like- who are wreaking havoc on various cities throughout the country. The military is more concerned with overseas battles, which is basically just the navy and the air force these days, but we still need to keep the peace in our own home.
"That's where you Rockets come in. I would assume most of you know how to fire a gun, so training would be minimal, and the government won't have to fund the troupe. You won't be forced to join, but if you fight for the entire length of the war, you won't have to serve any time. It's your choice; I'll give you a minute to talk it over."
The four ex-Rockets turned their backs on Jenny, discussing their options quietly. Jessie's voice was still filled with contempt. "Well, what do you want? Do you want to risk your lives for the community that stuck us here in the first place?"
"I don't want to go to prison, anymore than I want to get killed," James voiced. He cursed himself silently, knowing he sounded like a coward but unable to help himself. "We don't have a good choice at this point."
"Yeah, but at least fightin' in a war we got a fifty-fifty chance of gettin' out alive," Meowth reminded them. "Dere ain't no chance we'll be able ta weasel outta jail. An' sometimes prison can be as dangerous as a warground."
The three seniors looked to their younger partner to hear what he had to say. Mondo shifted nervously. "To be honest, I'm getting charged as a minor, so it's not as hard for me as it'll be for you." He flashed a quick smile, remaining loyal to his friends. "I'll go wherever you do, even if it's to hell and back."
Jessie understood her team members' decision. She turned back to the haughty officer. "We'll fight."
"I had a feeling you would say that. Most of you Rockets will, I expect," Jenny predicted, walking off to discuss the deal with another group.
Once Jenny had left, Mondo and Meowth slunk to a far corner to talk about what had just happened. Jessie and James retreated to their own section of the small cell, taking seats on a rickety cot.
"I don't like this," Jessie voiced immediately, keeping her tone as subdued as possible so as not to worry Meowth or Mondo. "With the way things are going, this war could last for years. I think we may have just dug ourselves into a hole we can't climb out of."
James hugged his knees to his chest, feeling the same way his partner did. "Why did we agree to do it, then? Is war better than prison? Especially for us, who never even successfully stole anything, not really."
Jessie leaned back, taking a long breath to collect her thoughts. "I've never been to prison, and I never plan to, but I've heard enough to know it isn't anywhere I want to go." She managed a small smile. "I'm thinking of you too, of course. How long do you think you'd last in a place full of cold-blooded killers? No offense, James, but they'd eat you alive in half a week."
He winced at the innocently spoken comment. The ex-Rocket knew he wasn't a very tough person, and he often hated himself for the fact. "I know, Jess."
Jessie was surprised by how dreary her partner sounded. Ignorant to the real reason, she assumed James was just worried about the upcoming events.
She chuckled slightly, closing her eyes against the bit of sunlight coming in through their barred window. "And at least this way we can stick together, right?" Jessie opened one eye to look at James. "We've survived a lot, watching each other's backs, so we may as well just do it again."
Jessie was happy to see the hint of a smile on his face. "I guess you're right about that. It's just..." James averted his eyes from hers, looking towards their other friends.
"What?" Jessie pressed, curious to see what he was going to tell her.
He seemed about to say, but stopped short. Finally, James faced her again. He was smiling once more. "You think they'll feed us well?"
Jessie laughed, in spite of the fact that she knew that hadn't been what he really wanted to say, "James Morgan, you are hopeless. I just thought you needed to know that."
~
Two weeks later, April 15th to name the exact date, every Rocket member with the exception of few were seated in a Viridian auditorium, waiting for the fairly large troupe's "general" to give some sort of announcement. All were decked out in their Team Rocket clothes, since it was easier for the government not to pay for standard uniforms.
James brushed a strand of hair from his eyes nervously, wondering what in the world would happen next. He chanced a look at Jessie; cool and calm as always, smoothing her hair back and keeping her eyes facing the front of the room. James sighed, wishing he could be as tough as his partner.
A tall, muscular man with quick grey eyes and matching hair strode onto the stage, looking the group up and down. "Okay, listen up you dilinquint scum. My name is Captain Rodney Willis, and I am god. You will eat, sleep, fight, live and die if need be by my orders. I don't care if you hate me, I wouldn't want love from the likes of you. But you will respect and fear me, or I'll ship you off to a federal prison so fast your head'll spin. Anyone who wants to leave, do so now." No movement. "That's what I thought. Your uniforms will indicate your rank in this troupe. Black Rockets will take your orders from Junior members, Juniors from Seniors, and Seniors will get your orders from your old boss, Giovanni, who I've elected official Commander of this army."
He nodded to where Giovanni sat; lounging in a chair by the side of the stage, James noted that he looked better than he had since the team's break-up. The position of power and command was familiar for the old Team Rocket boss, lifting his spirits a good deal. "Your commander will get all orders from me and me alone," Captain Willis continued. "I assume all of you know how to aim a gun, and that's all the training you'll need. I'll divide you into bunking groups, and I expect no arguments as to who you are positioned with."
The straight-forward captain was off the stage as quickly as he had came, Officer Jenny taking the man's place. "Please exit single-file through the back door, where Mr. Willis, myself and a few of my men will separate you into groups of four- those will be the people you bunk with for the rest of the war..." She seemed about to add something, but checked herself quickly.
"Or until you're dead," Meowth finished harshly. He looked up at James, shrugging. "Don't matter t'me or nothin'. I don't even gotta fight, bein' a Pokémon. Mondo probably won't either. You an' Jessie better watch yer backs out dere, though."
James shivered involuntarily, wishing he hadn't heard the cat's cryptic words. Jessie had heard the comment and seen its effect. She reprimanded Meowth, much to James' surprise. "That's last thing either of us wanted to hear." She turned on James. "And as for you, stop worrying so much. I already promised you neither of us is going to get killed, so just trust what I say and stop thinking about the what-ifs."
James tried to believe Jessie's assurances, but it was difficult when they were heading into such a dangerous time. He followed his partner and long-time friend closely, not wanting to get bunked in a different room from her.
"Stand in rows of four, one next to the other," Willis snapped, walking briskly between the Rockets. He brandished a short stick with a leather strap tied at the end, and was quick to hit anyone who needed reprimanding. "Don't mill around trying to find your buddies, follow orders without question. You there, whatever your name is, no slouching. Stop messing with your hair, girl, this isn't a beauty parlor. Good Lord, I've had some incompetent troupes in my time, but this is ridiculous."
Jessie hid a smile behind her hand, deciding she liked the snippy captain. She was rewarded for her amusement with a quick rap on the head and a sharp word or two. "What do you find so funny, junior Rocket? This is a war, not a joyride. Here, stand next to this tallish lavender-haired boy, no arguing, that's right. Come on, you lot, chin in, chest out, haven't you ever come to attention before? Ah, no matter, I'll shape you up soon enough."
James, the "tallish lavender-haired boy" Captain Willis had spoken of, looked over in relief to see Jessie in his line. Glancing to his other side, James' heart sank slightly. It was Butch and Cassidy, who would no doubt take advantage of their "higher rank" by tormenting the white Rockets with useless tasks.
Feeling someone watching the back of his head, Butch turned to face James, eyes narrowing as he saw who it was. "You? I can't believe our bad luck."
"Don't think we'll enjoy it anymore than you," Jessie, who had been following James' gaze, broke in.
Cassidy smirked. "Actually, this might not be so bad for us, Butch. We're senior Rockets, they'll have to obey all our orders." Seeing her partner didn't quite understand what she was saying, Cassidy winked knowingly. "This war thing wouldn't be too tough with a couple of personal slaves, don't you agree?"
"Personal slaves? Over my dead body!" Jessie stepped in front of James, glaring down her enemy. "Listen, just because you've got a different uniform doesn't mean you can tell me to do whatever the hell you want, and even if you could I wouldn't obey you anyway!"
"Oh really? I wonder how Rodney would like that," Cassidy countered smugly. "Maybe I should ask him-"
None saw the looming figure behind them until it was too late. Captain Willis delivered four hits to four different heads, grabbing Jessie and Cassidy by their shirt collars. "Fighting in the ranks already, hm? Don't suppose it's anything you want to share with me?"
Butch, Jessie and Cassidy all began speaking at once, trying to get their version in before the others could. James stood by, rubbing his head and waiting for the punishment he knew would come. Willis restored order with three quick swats. "If I wanted a story I would have asked for one. I heard the whole thing, and you would've known that had you been paying attention to your surroundings." He glared at Butch. "You started it, let's hear some type of excuse."
Butch's eyes turned to the ground. He muttered something unintelligable under his breath. Willis nodded. "As I suspected." He shook Jessie none-too-lightly. "And as for you, you will obey anyone ranking above you, understood?" Jessie started to protest, but was stopped with a quick shake. "And if you have a problem with a senior, take it up with me or your commander. We'll deal with it as we see fit." Cassidy smirked as Jessie, but her pleasure was short-lived. "And you! Suggesting to push around a lower officer for no reason? Don't think I'll hesitate in demoting you, miss!"
"If you knew what those two have done to us-" Cassidy tried to get in.
"No arguments, and speak when you're asked! And about calling me Rodney, it's Captain Willis to you and anyone else; make sure you don't forget that." He pulled Jessie and Cassidy closer to eachother. "Now, whatever sort of little cat-fights you've had in the past are now forgotten. You're bunking and fighting companions, now, all right? Now remind me, is there a problem?" No answer. "I said: is there a problem?"
"No Cap'n," Jessie and Cassidy muttered grudgingly.
"Exactly what I thought. The three of you have dish duty tonight, so be sure to report to the kitchens immediately after dinner or I'll triple your work." Seeing the crestfallen looks of the trio, James had to smother a laugh. Captain Willis turned his sharp eyes to the fourth bunk member. "You can join them. Get the job done a lot quicker with four pairs of able hands."
He released the two female Rockets, making his way back to the front of the troupe. "Let that be a lesson to the rest of you. I will tolerate no insolence of any sort. Is that clear, or does someone else need to be reminded?"
A resounding, "No sir" echoed through the crowded hallway. Breaking formation, they milled out of the auditorium, following the well-established Captain Willis, unsure of what they were getting themselves into.
Cassidy rubbed her neck, scowling fiercely behind Willis' back. "Damn that captain. Of all the people in the military, we would get General Hardass."
Jessie laughed to herself as they followed the rest out. As she was loading one of the many buses, James close by, she spied Willis leaning against her vehicle. Jessie shot him a quick smile and a wink, letting him know that she agreed one-hundred percent with the tough but just captain. To her surprise, he flashed a quick smile in her direction.
James saw the wordless exchange. "Do you actually like that guy?"
His friend shook her head, boarding the bus. "Not exactly, James. He's not the kind of person you can become friends with. Let's just say after seeing the way he took care of Cass back there, I'm definitely going to consider him an ally rather than an enemy."
~
Officer Jenny snuck into one of the lounge tents set up outside Saffron City. The camp had been moved there almost immediately after dispatchment, hearing that action was suspected to take place in the city. "I need all of you armored right away; a whole group of renegades has begun attacking the south side of town." No one paid attention to the police officer; the only two they were known to obey were Captain Willis and Giovanni. "Um, excuse me? Hello! This is important, and-"
Jenny was cut off as a roaring Willis sent everyone scurrying to their weaponry. "What's this!? Ignoring a ranking officer! I hope it isn't what it looks like, or I'll skin alive whoever makes it out of this little skirmish! Hop to it, no jogging, if we want minimal damage we have to be ready to move at the drop of a hat! Line up, come to attention, that's right!" He grabbed two passing senior Rockets, who happened to be Butch and Cassidy. "Follow these two out, on the double, don't ask questions, just follow your orders! There's a good troupe!"
Jenny stood to the side, sighing unhappily to herself. As Jessie walked by she deliberately trod on the officer's foot, moving by too quickly for Jenny to see who had stepped on her toes. James, as always, followed his friend, looking as nervous as he felt.
Mondo waved a good-bye to his companions. Having been considered too young for fighting, the Rocket had been issued cooking duties, which didn't bother him in the least. "Good luck! Come back in one piece and I'll sneak some extras to you tonight!" he promised, knowing that James was always still hungry after the rations were passed out.
Jessie gave Mondo a grin, saying to James as she did. "Hear that? Now we have to live through this."
He managed a half-hearted smile, dreading the thought of attacking a group of rebels and guerilla troupes. Captain Willis had warned them earlier that these were cold-blooded murderers who wouldn't hesitate to kill you, which meant the Rockets had to be quicker at the trigger or they were dead. Though James appreciated the fact that the captain didn't try to sugar-coat anything (he was like Jessie and Meowth in that sense), the twenty-year-old wished Willis hadn't painted such a foreboding picture of doom.
As they were loading various cars that would take them to Saffron, Jessie noticed her partner's anxiety. "Hey, how many times do I have to tell you, don't worry about it. Just stick by me, and try to use Butch and Cassidy as a human shield."
James couldn't help but chuckle at Jessie's last words, but still wished he were somewhere far away from this.
"What're you two smiling about?" Cassidy wanted to know, shooting them a questioning look. "In case you forgot, we're about to walk into death's hands tonight."
Jessie didn't hesitate to snap at the older Rocket. "Would you shut up? We didn't forget- how could we?- but it doesn't do any good worrying about it!"
James sighed again. Why couldn't he have Jessie's perspective on the matter, instead of rehashing everything that could go wrong? Seeing a fight about to break between Jessie and Butch, James interrupted, pointing ahead to a spout of flame nearby. "We're almost there."
The band of Rockets watched the firy chaos draw closer, each gasping at the sight. Guerilla fighters and renegades dashed from building to building, lighting them on fire, dragging people out and killing them in cold blood. Most had to avert their eyes from the gruesome scene, but Jessie managed to watch the entire ordeal, feeling angrier then she had in a long while. How dare these psychopaths run into Kanto and murder innocents! Jessie knew she wouldn't hesitate to kill any of them.
The cars filled with Rockets unloaded in a nearby alley. Paying no heed to Jenny's words of warning, they listened intently to Giovanni's instructions. The old boss had become quite fond of his commander title, and enjoyed ordering his old team members around. "Get in there and kill any guerillas you meet. If you hesitate, you'll be dead before you can blink. There's nothing wrong with killing if its in self-defense, and that's exactly what this is. Don't stop until they're all dead or driven out of the city, and never give an inch." He allowed a brief smile. "Let's see if you can fight as well as you can steal. Good luck."
"Fight as good as you can steal? In that case, Jess, you and your partner sound pretty screwed," Louis, one of Cassidy's friends, remarked wickedly.
To James and Jessie's surprise, Butch came to their defense. "Just shut up, Lou. Stop using your mouth for once and prove your tough words in the battlefield."
The senior Rocket muttered incoherently, shuffling off with the rest. Butch managed the thinnest smile, answering the silent question. "No reason to die with enemies, right?" He jerked his head to where Cass was standing. "You want to stick with us? The more the merrier, and the safer."
Jessie, as always, was the spokesperson. "Not a bad idea. Think we'll take you up on that offer. Cass won't mind...?"
"Do you care if she does?" Butch asked rhetorically. The trio actually laughed, weakly, but nevertheless they'd managed to lighten the mood.
Butch went ahead, Jessie close behind. James lagged, reluctant to join the fighting. Jessie grabbed his hand, the other tight on her gun and trigger. "Come on. Don't want to get left behind, right?"
James nodded, following Jessie to where Butch and Cassidy were headed and into the heart of the action. The troupe would have snuck in and struck down several renegades without being noticed, if one Rocket, caught up in the moment, hadn't shouted a battlecry.
All elements of surprise gone, the two groups launched themselves upon the other with the fierce fighting spirit found only in the brave and insane. Jessie lost all track of time and direction, sticking close to James, Butch and Cassidy. She couldn't count how many times she'd saved one of three's life, or they'd saved hers. Though none had killed anyone yet, they had injured several, though to what extent none stuck around to find out.
As they were caught in a fireburst, Jessie ducked down a back alley to get away from the smoke, James right on her tail. Coughing a few times, she asked James, "Where are Butch and Cassidy?"
He was about to answer, when James saw shapes moving out of the alley behind his partner. "Jess, behind!"
She turned in time to see three guerilla fighters come at them, yelling curses and aiming their guns straight at the surprised Rockets. Jessie fired twice, hitting two of the three. Without thinking James pulled his own trigger, knocking the third and final off his feet. Both knew the trio was dead immediately; their shots had been perfect and painless.
A deep shudder coursed its way through Jessie's entire body. She knew she'd never get used to killing someone, no matter how horrible they were. Jessie tried consoling herself with the fact that she and James were still alive, but had a hard time. She shook her head, smacking herself lightly on the cheek. "Snap out of it, Jess. It was either you or them. Purely self-defense. They got what they deserved."
Remembering the innocent victims killed by those people helped Jessie shake off the shock and emotional distress. She brushed several pieces of hair from her face, reloading her gun. "C'mon James, we'd better get back out there, or Cap'n Willis might think we ran off, and then we'd really be in for it."
There was no reply, and James didn't come to stand next to her. "James?" Jessie turned her head, to see if he was coming.
Her friend and partner sat in the middle of the alley, head between knees. His entire body was wracked with sobs.
Jessie walked over, gingerly touching his shoulder. She jerked back, momentarily surprised. James was shaking uncontrollably. "James? You okay?"
He looked up, face streaked with tears. "Oh, God, I killed him. He was alive just seconds ago, but I pulled the trigger..."
"Yeah, and he would have killed you if you hadn't fired first, remember? That guy was totally heartless; think of all the other people he's slaughtered." Jessie didn't know how to assure James that what he did was completely justified. Worse still, she suspected the fighting was mostly over, and if they didn't hurry they'd be left behind and assumed dead.
"Who cares what he did?" James cried. "No one deserves to get killed like that, shot down in the back of an alley with no one but the killers to witness it... my God, I'm a murderer-"
Jessie had never been good at comforting anyone, even her closest companion. Not knowing what else to do, she slapped her partner across the face, and hard. "James, you aren't a killer anymore than I am, okay!? We aren't murderers, we're soldiers. We were ordered to do this, it was our decision to join, and we have to live with the consequences. I hate it just as much as you do, but you have to pull yourself together. We were also ordered to report back after the fighting stopped, and I'm not leaving without you!"
The smack seemed to snap James out of his phase. He stood up shakily, with a little help from Jessie, and followed her back into the main alley. As she had suspected, all battle had ceased; the only thing that showed a fight had even taken place was the lightly flaming buildings and various bodies, Rocket and terrorist alike.
Jessie shuddered again, but knew she needed to keep it together, if only for James' sake. She had never seen anyone so shaken up by a killing.
They made it back to the cars with no trouble. Butch moved over to allow Jessie and James seats; he was nursing a bullet-wound on his left shoulder. "Glad to see you still around. When we lost you back there I thought that might be the last time we saw each other."
"Where's Cassidy?" Jessie wondered. Though she and the other girl were nowhere near friends, they had reached a sort of truce after spending time in a bunk together.
Butch motioned towards the front of the line of cars. "Up ahead, with some other friends. Blood makes really her nauseous." He noticed James, who was still trembling slightly. All color had drained from the white Rocket's face. "What's wrong with him?"
"We got our first taste of death back there," Jessie explained. "Shook James up pretty bad."
Butch shivered. "I know how he feels. But at least you made it out alive and not too banged up."
Jessie nodded towards his bandaged shoulder. "Is it pretty nasty?"
Tight-faced with pain, Butch still managed a weak smile as he fingered the blood-stained shirt around the wound. "Yeah, but you shoulda seen the other guy."
Jessie returned the forced smile, leaning back against the seat of the vehicle and closing both eyes. She hadn't realized how exhausted she was. "I tell you, Mondo better have one hell of a banquet prepared for us. I'm not risking my life to get starved, that's for sure."
Butch chuckled lightly. "If not, I vote on a scavenging party to the kitchens tonight. Think you're up to it?"
"Butch, if you can get hit by a bullet and still have an appetite, think how I must feel."
~
Mondo and the other cooks- Rockets not physically up to par and ones too young- did have a good, large meal prepared for the fighters. Jessie, Butch and Cassidy, along with most of the others, stuffed their faces, hunger overcoming their exhaustion. James didn't touch a scrap of the dinner, much to Jessie's amazement; he completely ignored the kitchen area and went straight to bed, with nothing more than a quick "g'night" to Jessie.
Had she not been so famished, worry for her friend would have taken away her appetite. As it was, most of the food tasted bitter to Jessie, who ate automatically amidst solemn Rockets and ones trying to make light of a sad situation. Though the Kanto Force had ultimately won the battle, they had paid a price of nearly a dozen dead and half that number badly injured. Many a partner found themselves without teammates that night; as Butch ironically commented, he was one of the luckier ones.
The next morning, Jessie awoke feeling a good deal better, the lead weight from yesterday almost completely lifted from her chest. She stretched lazily, letting the sunlight from the tent window warm her face. "Nice day, we oughta go outside and relax." Being on the top of her bunk, Jessie smacked the side, to catch James' attention. "Sound like a good idea to you, James?"
No answer.
Jessie looked over the side. James was still asleep, or at least he appeared to be, curled in a tight ball with nothing but a mop of lavender hair showing above the covers. Jessie sighed, remembering how hard yesterday had been for her partner. "Oh, fine, I'll let you sleep in," she said more to herself than him. "I'll have Mondo come wake you up for breakfast."
Jessie hopped down from the top bunk, pulling up a tent flap and strolling into the living room area. She found both Butch and Cassidy, along with Mondo and a younger female Rocket named Laura lounging about in some chairs. She greeted the group, seating herself on the couch between Mondo and Laura. "Why aren't you and Laura working on breakfast?" Jessie asked Mondo.
"Not my day for the morning meal," the younger boy explained. "Laura and I called Wednesdays and Saturdays, makes it easier to have designated days so we don't have to always get up so early. You'd be surprised how long it takes to cook a meal for the whole group."
"And all of them walking stomachs," Laura added lightly, putting her hands behind her head. "Speaking of stomachs on feet, where's the James?"
Jessie waved her hand to the bunk. "Still asleep. Yesterday really got to him, I think. He deserves the extra rest. If Meowth doesn't wake him up, do you think you could get him when breakfast's ready, Mondo?"
He nodded. Butch shot a look to his room. "You think James'll be okay? He looked almost sick when we got back; didn't even eat."
Cassidy, who had been spending the early morning babying Butch in all ways possible, now smoothed the fresh bandage (once the blood had been cleaned up her courage had returned) tenderly. "Oh, if he's anything like the rest of us he'll bounce back by mealtime. I'll tell you, Rockets may not be the smartest or the bravest, but by God we're bendable." She jerked her head to Louis, who was talking with a few of his buddies. "Lou lost his partner yesterday. Wouldn't speak to anyone, barely touched dinner. Look at him now, talking away to his friends; he's still pretty somber- who wouldn't be?- but you understand what I mean."
Jessie understood what Cassidy was talking about, but looking at Louis she found him to be a poor example. Jessie knew she, James and the rest of their companions wouldn't take the death of a friend lightly. 'Hell,' Jessie added quietly to herself, 'James nearly broke down when an enemy was dead.' She couldn't imagine what he'd do if she got killed. 'Not that I will,' she told herself hastily.
"Butch, would you stop moving that shoulder around so much!?" Cassidy cried out, steadying his arm with both hands. "It'll never heal if you don't leave it alone!"
The older boy rolled his eyes. "I'm left-handed, Cass, I'll have to use it when I eat."
She smoothed the bandage down again, saying as she did, "Then you'll eat right-handed, got that? I'm not going out there to risk my life without you, so you'd better heal up quick."
Butch sighed, exhasperated at Cassidy, slumping back down into the chair and letting her fuss over him.
Laura giggled devilishly. "Or, maybe Cass could just hand-feed him..."
"I'm sure she'd enjoy that," Mondo agreed, snickering along with his friend. "Then they could share their bed tonight, so Butch won't roll out and hurt himself..."
The two younger Rockets fell against each other, laughing even louder at the murderous looks Butch and Cassidy sent them.
Cassidy sniffed, sitting back in her chair. "Heaven forbid I care about my partner's health." She jerked a finger at Jessie. "Look at her, worrying over her best friend, and you aren't saying a word to her."
Mondo chuckled. "That's 'cause I know Jessie'll kill me if I tease her about something like that."
"Besides," Laura added, "James really could be in trouble. Maybe not physically, but emotionally, which can be worse. When someone like him, with a metabolism as fast as a rattatas doesn't eat you know something is wrong. Butch's only problem is that he's getting suffocated by you."
Jessie stifled a laugh at Cassidy's look of indignation, but couldn't help but take Laura's words to heart. What if something really was wrong with James? Jessie was no good at providing moral support and comfort; what would she do if her partner was in some kind of funk?
Breakfast was served out to the group a few minutes later; Mondo took an extra plate, explaining that it was for James. He was just about to go wake up the other boy, when a familiar voice called out to the white Rockets.
"Hey, Jess, Mondo!" Jessie turned to see Meowth trotting from her bunk to where she was seated, looking mildly worried. "Jess, can you come here for a minute? Sometin's wrong wit' James. I tink he might be sick or sometin'."
The five human Rockets exchanged looks with each other, having a pretty good idea what was wrong with their friend. Jessie stood up, followed by Mondo, and Meowth led the way to James' bunk room.
James hadn't moved since Jessie had seen him that morning; still curled up tightly, nothing to show he was alive but for the rise and fall of the covers.
"James?" Mondo called, trying to make light of the situation. "You gonna stay in bed all day? Breakfast's almost ready, and if you don't hurry you'll miss the meal."
"I'm not hungry," came the muffled reply. "Jus' leave me alone."
Jessie sighed, knowing she'd have to think of something meaningful to say if she were to snap James out of whatever was wrong with him. "You can't stay in bed forever, you know."
"Well, technically he can..." Meowth caught the nasty glare Mondo and Jessie sent him, shutting up immediately. "Jessie's right, Jim. What good'll it do you t'stay in here all day an' starve yerself?"
"How can you be so damn level-headed?" James snapped angrily. "Twelve Rockets are dead," Jessie wondered where James had gathered that information, having gone to bed so early last night, "who knows how many guerillas got killed, and I helped to cause that carnage!" His three friends saw him shudder violently at the thought.
Jessie sighed again, sitting down on James' bed and patting what she assumed was his shoulder, doing her best to comfort the distraught boy. "I know the figures, but that's no reason to lay around moping."
There was a long, drawn-out moment of awkward silence. Finally, James spoke. "I understand what you're saying, but the truth is I've completely lost my appetite. The thought of eating makes me sick. How could I stuff my face when the guy I shot won't even breathe again?"
Jessie was getting tired of his attitude. Using every bit of force she had, the female Rocket tossed off the covers and dragged her partner into a sitting position. "Look at me, shut up and listen. Don't argue, just do it." Had the situation not been so serious, Jessie would have laughed. She sounded just like Captain Willis. "You aren't the only one who hated doing what we did yesterday. Butch, Cassidy, and I all feel the same way, but do you see us sitting in bed, cursing our existence? No. You wanna know why? Don't answer, I'll tell you anyway. Those Rockets died to save our home, so that the survivors could live in a country a little safer. If we back in camp decide to lie in our bunks until we join them in the afterlife, then their deaths were wasted."
James seemed about to say something, but thought better of it. Jessie grabbed James' ration of food from Mondo- steamed rice and miso soup- and stuck the meal in front of her partner. "Now, I don't care if the whole thing tastes like chalk, you're going to eat everything in those bowls or I'll shove it down your throat myself." He took the two bowls and utensils, obeying Jessie's command and eating silently. The other three joined him, though they attacked their meals with a bit more passion.
After a moment, James, still eating, asked Jessie, "Have you been spending a lot of time with Captain Willis?"
"Not really. Why?"
Jessie was happy to see her friend and partner smile. "You're starting to sound just like him."
Mondo and Meowth both chuckled, nudging the female Rocket and agreeing with James. Jessie laughed in spite of herself, glad that the mood had been lightened considerably. She flicked a piece of rice at Meowth, who returned the favor. The gestures rapidly turned into a full-fledged food fight, all four momentarily forgetting the war and enjoying the other's company.
"What the hell is going on around here!?"
Four heads looked up from James' bunk, to see Captain Willis flanked by Laura, Butch and Cassidy, who were all trying to contain giggles. Willis didn't seem to find it nearly as amusing. "These three told me the one called James wasn't feeling too good, so I came in to check up on him. Looks t'me like you're all perfectly fine." He glared down each in turn. "Dish duty for a couple days oughta straighten out any problems." Jessie thought she caught the briefest of a smile on the captain's features, but could have been mistaken. "And, as a reminder: typically food goes in your mouth rather than on the floor." He strode out of the bunk, on the prowl for anymore troublemakers.
Once the captain had made his exit, the whole group including Laura, Cassidy and Butch burst into laughter.
"And here I thought something actually was wrong with James," Laura chuckled once the group had calmed down. "But if this is 'wrong' for him, then I don't think we've got much to worry about."
"C'mon Mondo, I'll help you and Laura clean up," Butch offered, helping the other boy up and heading through the tent flap.
"You'll do no such thing!" Cassidy protested fiercely. "I already told you the last thing you need to be doing is moving that shoulder around!"
The arguing partners exited, followed shortly by Laura and Mondo, Meowth on their heels. Jessie was about to join them, when James caught her arm. The female Rocket turned around. "Uh-huh?"
"Thanks Jess. That helped a lot."
Jessie blushed, rubbing the back of her head and brushing off the the compliment. "Oh hell, James, you woulda done the same for me."
"Right," he agreed, though James didn't sound very sure of himself. Jessie couldn't know it, but James was once more wishing he was as tough as his partner, in more ways than one. "I'll pay you back when I get the chance, Jess."
"I know you will."
~
The next month passed quicker then most expected; the Rocket troupes were sent to all corners of Kanto, doing their best to restore peace but ultimately making little difference in the guerilla union's chaos. Jessie, James, Meowth and Mondo, along with Laura, Butch and Cassidy became wonderfully close friends during the time; it was almost impossible to tell that they had ever been enemies.
As a matter of fact, the only thing bothering Jessie about her position in the war was her partner. After the first battle, Jessie had assumed James would handle all aspects of the fighting a good deal better. She knew none of them would ever get used to killing someone, but at least they could come to terms with it.
James didn't seem to have the ability, or either he didn't want to. Jessie had long ago lost track of how many renagades she'd taken down, but she knew for a fact James had taken exactly ten lives in the past weeks; everytime he shot and killed, he flat-out refused dinner and often woke up at night in a cold sweat.
Even so, things seemed to be going as well as could be expected. The war was by no means near its end, but Kanto had yet to be attacked from overseas, and none of Jessie and James' closer friends had been harmed to any extent beyond Butch's original gun wound.
Laura's birthday came up on the May twenty-ninth, and the group spent her seventeenth snacking on food filched from the kitchen and staying up most of the night. Knowing it could be the last time they enjoyed the others' company, what with battles every other day and Lord only knew what else, the company of young Rockets enjoyed the evening to its full extent. Their celebration, however, would have been short-lived had they known what events would befall them in two days' time.
