What Am I?

1998, John Marx

1998, Inside one of Team Rocket’s Labs

            “How are the test subjects?” One of the scientists asked as he entered the lab.

            “Only three of the thirteen subjects are still alive, and they do not look like they will last through the night.” Another scientist explained. “Their bodies are rejecting the serum.”

            “Don’t let Marx hear you say that. He said his job depends on it.”

            “Where is Marx anyway?”

            “In his office. He’s been in there all day staring at his computer and talking on the phone.”

            “Whom has he been talking to?”

            The others shrugged.

        “He does know that Giovanni wants a status report by the end of the day today, right?”

        Many of them grimaced as they looked towards Marx’s office. What could he possibly be doing in there?

        Marx sat at his desk, examining a small vial filled with purple liquid. He held the vial up and moved it in his hand.

        Giovanni had wanted him to use this to make all of Team Rocket’s Pokemon stronger, but it was killing them. He had tested it on Fighting, Grass, Fire, Psychic, etc., but they all shared the same fate.

        He clenched his fist around the vial angrily. Giovanni was awaiting a report from him later that day, but all Marx had was bad news.

He was going to lose his job…and that was if he was lucky. Then again, luck had not been on his side recently.

        Not only was his job at risk, but so was his marriage. His wife had no clue that he had been working for Team Rocket. For the past nine years of their marriage, he had told her that he worked as a traveling Pokemon professor. She was starting to see through his lies and was threatening to leave him. Unfortunately, that was not the worst.

        His youngest child was dying and was given only a few weeks to live. His poor child was growing weaker by the day, both physically and mentally. The doctors had conducted multiple tests for all sorts of diseases, but they could not figure out what was wrong.

He sighed and laid his head down on his desk, sobbing.

        A shrill ringing from his phone pulled him back to reality. Wiping his eyes quickly, he answered the phone and looked to his computer screen as his wife appeared on screen.

        “John…what did the doctors say?” She asked slowly.

        Marx shook his head. His eyes were becoming glassy again. “I’m sorry, Lucy. They still don’t know what’s wrong…we have about two weeks left.”

        Lucy covered her mouth as tears came to her eyes. “John, what are we going to do? Have you not found anything during your travels that could help our child?”

        John looked at the vial that was still clutched in his hand. “We’ve been trying this on Pokemon for the past couple of years and look at how all our hard work has turned out.”

        He looked up at his wife who stared back at him with a glint of hope in her eyes.

        “Damn it…I’ll never forgive myself if this doesn’t work.” He held up the vial for his wife to see. “This…this should help, but we’ve only been testing it on Pokemon. There have never been any human test subjects, Lucy. Please understand the risks.”

        “But it could save our child’s life!”

        “It…it could, or it might not.”

        “John Marx, you listen to me! My baby needs that vial to live! Please act like a father this one time and send me the vial.”

        “But, Lucy-”

        “DAMN IT, JOHN, JUST DO IT!”

        He bit his bottom lip and placed the vial on the transporter (Marx mostly used it to send and or receive pokeballs from other Rocket members). The vial was scanned and instantly transported to Lucy.

        His wife smiled as the vial appeared on her side. “Thank you, John.” She said with a soft smile.

        “Don’t let me regret this, Lucy.”

        She nodded and the screen went blank.

        He sighed heavily. What had he just done? For all he knew, he had just killed his child.

        His door opened suddenly and in stepped Giovanni followed by his Persian.

        “Shit.” He gasped as his eyes widened.

        “Hello, Marx, how are you today? Have your experiments been going well?” His boss asked casually.

        Marx grimaced. “Not as well as we have hoped. None of the Pokemon we have tested have survived. The longest some have lasted was a week.” He choked on the last sentence.

        “Is something the matter?” Giovanni asked, becoming very suspicious to Marx’s sudden change in attitude.

        “No, sir. Sorry. It’s just stressful at the moment.”

        “Hmm.”

        “I promise, we will eventually solve this problem and Team Rocket will rule the world.”

        Giovanni closed his eyes and smirked. “Hmm. About this little science experiment…I’ve decided to discontinue it.”

        “D-Discontinue? But why?”

        “Because of the pathetic results you have given me. Understand?” His tone was cold. Marx slumped down into his seat. All of his research was now worthless. “You have about half an hour to get off the island. If you don’t…well, I refuse to be responsible for whatever happens to you.”

        “What?” Marx yelped as Giovanni and his Persian walked out of the room.

        A half an hour? What would happen? What would happen to his research? His life’s work?

        He jumped from his chair and began gathering everything into a cardboard box. He had to continue his research regardless as to what Giovanni said.

        Once he was done he sprinted from his room to see his colleagues banging on the doors. They were screaming and throwing chairs at the doors.

        Marx’s face paled as his mind quickly registered their panic. His limbs went limp as he dropped the cardboard box, spilling everything out onto the floor.

        Giovanni didn’t want any of the research to get out, meaning everything on paper…to the scientists themselves. Giovanni was going to kill them.

        The lights flickered above them before completely shutting off.

        Everyone held their breath as they listened and waited for what was to come next. Faint explosions could be heard growing louder and louder.

        Marx fell to the floor and shut his eyes. “Forgive me, Lucy…forgive me my poor child…I’m so…so very sorry.”

        Fire erupted into the room, throwing his colleagues backwards and engulfing the room in flames.