Well I've finally decided to knuckle down and finish this part. I don't know why it took so long, but anyway enjoy...

(Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon) (I still think disclaimers are useless, and I'll be damned if anyone from Nintendo actually reads this and wants to take legal action..Oh well)

Thoughts coagulated into conscious forms, as shapes formed before him. He was cold and wet. The room was dark and fuzzy. A solid shape was standing over him. "Finally, he's awake" the shape whispered in a pleasant voice. A bright light flared, making him flinch. "He's responsive." she said as the light died. Mark saw clear grey eyes flash beneath a mess of bushy red hair. "Get him up, we don't have much time." another voice, this time much deeper, came from beyond his view. He tried to raise himself onto his elbows, but he felt heavy. It hurt to breathe, his strangled gasps caught in his throat, making him gag. The woman helped him into a sitting position as he coughed and spluttered. "It's okay, just get it all out," she said reassuringly as she held him steady. "Can you stand?" Still coughing he nodded. "I'm going to help you up. Are you ready?" Again, he nodded. Stars swam before his eyes as she helped him to find his feet, only to have the world convulse and spin around him. He retched, spewing bile onto the floor. While being held up as he went limp.

Every joint and muscle was sore, his lungs and throat burned and stars began to grow before his eyes as darkness began to creep from the edges of his vision. Shivering he tried to blink away the stars. Slowly they began to fade, allowing him to see more shapes covered in white lab coats. They were also shivering, damp furry fingers clutching at the white material. Something warm and dry was draped over him, covering his head "Sarah, hurry up," said the deep voice. Clutching numbly at his own white lab coat, Mark turned toward the voice. A large man with loose straw blond hair stood by the door to a lit passage clutching a sub-machine gun in his hands. He wore a black padded uniform with shiny black plates at the knees and elbows. He looked nervously at the red haired woman. "Ed's right. He's the last one. We need to get moving," said another man standing on the opposite side of the doorway, dressed in the same black uniform, but brandishing a small semi automatic pistol. He wore a helmet; the tinted visor hid his face. The woman turned her head, casting a worried glance back at the shivering group.

The flash of doubt but was quickly replaced by steely determination. "Alright let's go," she said turning towards the two men. "What's going on?" Mark managed to say through numb lips. His teeth felt different, he thought as he ran his tongue along the rows of sharp teeth. "I need you to follow me. We'll explain later when we're somewhere safe, but don't worry everything is going to be alright". Mark stared sheepily at her, his thoughts were still fuzzy and he was incapable of doing more than nod in response. He and the others shuffled after her as she exited the room. Other than the lab coat he was wearing thick turquoise clothes. They itched at his neck and wrists. As he began to scratch, he noticed his hand for the first. They were covered in damp blue fur, a sharp bone protruded from the back of his hand. Soft black pads were on his palm and fingers. Steely spike poked from the back of his hand. 'That's new', he thought. Instinctively he flexed the hand noticing the sharp claws at the ends if his finger tips. "Move," whispered the blond man. Mark realised that during the inspection of his hand he had stopped walking in the middle of the passage. Mark ran his tongue along his teeth. His mouth was dry and his teeth felt sharper against his tongue. He felt like he was inside a large fuzzy bubble. It felt good.

He stared at the man vacantly before he began to walk. He quickly covered the distance to follow the white shape before him. His head sagged and he looked down to stare at the feet of the person in front of him. A lilac tail twitched below the hem of the coat, swaying in time to the shuffling footsteps of delicate lilac feet. 'Such pretty feet' was all he could muster in his clouded mind.

"What are you doing?" a man shouted from ahead. He was in a white lab coat holding a mug in his left hand. He quickly overcame his surprise and dashed wildly towards a wall mounted intercom, flinging away his mug spilling the contents on the floor. The man with the pistol was already in motion. "This is Giovanni I need security down on level th-" was all he managed to say before the helmeted man tackled him to the floor. The scientist fell to the floor limbs flailing. The other man tried to cover his mouth, but the scientist managed to kick him off before scrambling to his feet. He tried to run, but the helmeted man quickly leveled the pistol and fired. The sound exploded in the small hallway, making Mark's ears ring. The round caught the scientist in his shoulder causing him to spin. He landed on his back his head snapping backwards and cracking audible on the floor.

There was silence, save for the muffled gasps of the helmeted man. Blood pooled around the scientist, staining his white coat crimson. The coated figure with the lilac tail doubled over and retched emptily. The lab coat fell back onto its shoulders, revealing white hair and two tufted feline ears. Mark gasped. Two large grey eyes stared back at him full of fear. He knew those eyes and the condescending voice that accompanied it. She was someone he knew. The altered features where also familiar, but as a memory of a creature from a cartoon. The shock pulled him from his stupor. The world was thrown into vivid contrast as a thousand questions bubbled inside his head.

What's going on?

Where am I?

Who are these people?

What happened to her?

Why do I feel so different?

What happened to me?

His mind raced as he brought his hands up to his face. He finally understood what had happened. He finally knew why he felt different. 'I'm one of them' he thought numbly, 'this must be a dream'. He pinched himself, digging into the soft blue fur of his forearm. He felt the pain, his claws made it greater. Mark felt lost. Utterly confused, he didn't even notice the clanging sirens and followed by the heavy shove of the red haired lady as she screamed, "Move we've got to make a run for it". Mark began to move his confusion quickly being replaced by fear. The fear helped to make his legs move. It drove him forward one foot after the other, now in rapid succession as they ran.

Doors and hallways blurred past, as he followed the group. He was out of breath. His legs felt weak and his lungs burned from the effort. How long had he been in that lab, and what had he become? That question rolled in his mind as the blaring alarm and clawing fear made him run faster.

The lady with the red hair led the way, the group of coated figures followed, the coats thrown back from their faces. Mark caught a flash of flame red feathers and smear of green hair. They were also different. They also looked tired, their heavy breathing and exhausted postures told him that he wasn't the only one suffering.

The sounds of many pairs of booted feet could be heard, thundering behind them, along some animal's vicious barking.

"Were almost there!," screamed the red haired woman, "Just a little bit more". They passed through a large doorway into a loading bay. Large wooden crates with "Fragile, This way up" where scattered around the large room. Garage doors lined the opposite wall from the group. A black van was idling at one of the doors to the area. The back doors swung open, and a dark haired lady motioned for them to get in.

"Hurry up Sarah, get them in the van!" yelled the helmeted man, as he took up a defensive position by the door. Suddenly automatic gunfire chortled from the passage they had come from. It was followed by a scream as the man with blond hair tumbled into the room, as a large horned Doberman crashed into him. He tried to get up but the dog held him down. It breathed deeply and the man held his arms over his face. Mark let out a strangled gasp as the dog breathed fire at the man. The smell of burned hair and cloth filled the room. The man fumbled at his side and drew a sidearm. He fired point blank into the dog's belly. It yelped and rolled off him. He scrambled to his feet and jumped behind a crate, as the dog sought vengeance, spewing fire directly at the crate. The flames leapt up over the wood, burning away its label.

It read "Flammable".

The crate exploded. The flames engulfed both man and dog.

Mark saw white as his ears popped. He had been about to enter the van and was blown through the rear door. It slammed shut after him and someone screamed for the driver to go. Mark's head span and he felt sick. He had landed on something soft and it was squirming beneath him. It shoved him off and he lay on the floor of the van as motor roared as the driver floored the accelerator. Mark was thrown backwards as the van sped out of the cargo bay. This time however he acted as the unwilling cushion, as someone landed on him. The roar of the engine was accompanied by the frantic screams of the passengers and the staccato pop of gunfire. Bullets bounced and zinged of the back of the van, the panels had been reinforced. The van sped through the facility, taking a left here a sharp right there, heading for the exit. The red haired woman had climbed into the passenger's seat, and was firmly buckling her safety belt. "Move it Frank," shouted Sarah, wincing as a bullet hit the window to her left, leaving a spider web of cracks in the reinforced glass. "I'm taking her as fast as she can go," retorted the driver in a peculiarly Scottish accent.

Mark struggled to push off the writhing heap of feathers that pinned him. The van swerved, narrowly missing the large bipedal rhino that blocked its path. The feathery heap fell off Mark, allowing him a brief look through the windshield. The gate was directly ahead. Security bollards began to rise from the road, trying to block their path. "Oh no you don't!" roared the driver, as he shifted gear and floored the gas pedal. He flipped a small switch on the steering wheel, and the van lurched forward as it gained speed. It sped towards the gate. 'Are we going to make it?' Mark thought, as he fumbled for a hand hold and clung to it with white knuckled tenacity. The driver began to yell. The man's shout was soon accompanied by Sarah's screaming and, to Mark's surprise, his own frightened cry.

The van roared over the still rising bollards, which caught the back bumper. The carbon fibre plate was ripped loose and was left behind, a testament to their escape. The driver let out a raucous cheer, and pumped his fist in the air. "Yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about. And you told me that canister of NOS was a waste," he jeered at Sarah. The redhead didn't reply her grey eyes were swimming with tears. "What's wrong missy," asked the driver, taking his eyes quickly off the road to look at her face.

"We lost Ed," said a disgruntled voice from the back of the van. It was the man with the helmet. He had in fact removed the helmet, which was on the floor next to him as he sat against the side of the van. He had a rugged face, with well trimmed facial hair, a buzz cut and dark rings below his steely blue eyes. The van took a left turn sharply and began to travel along a dirt road into the forest. The bouncing of the vehicle caused the nausea in Mark's stomach to return.

The Scottish man sighed, sadness showed on his young face. After a pause, he reached a gloved hand across and patted Sarah on the shoulder gently."I'm sorry lass," he said returning the hand to the wheel," he was a good man, and I know that he knew you loved him". "He knew what he was getting into," the man with the helmet said hoarsely. The dark haired woman from before, who had finally managed to gain her footing at the back, quickly reprimanded the man," Don't be such a hard ass Francis! Show a little compassion for once". Francis scowled at her as she began to hand out blankets to the shivering shapes strewn around the back of the van. "Th-thank you," came the voice of a frail green haired girl as she was given a blanket. Mark had heard that same 'thank you before'. It had been just after they had gotten off a bus. He noticed the pink uniform for the first time. The girl looked at him with large confused eyes, partially hidden behind green bangs. She squinted her eyes trying to focus on his face, "Mark, is that you?" She asked hesitantly.

Mark felt his jaw drop. He did recognise this strange girl. He was about to reply when someone quickly screamed, "What the hell is going on here? Who are you people? What happened to me?" The last part faded into a whine, as the girl with the lilac fur broke into tears. They streamed down her face, tracing wet lines into the white fur of her face. "Shhh it's alright, your safe now," said the dark haired woman comfortingly, "my name is Melody. What's yours?" The girl sniffed, her furred ears flat on her head. "My name...my name is Helen". "There, there Helen," said Melody, wrapping a blanket around the sobbing girls shoulders, "we're the good guys and we'll protect you, so don't worry". Sarah rubbed her bleary eyes before turning around to face the rear of the van. "That's right. We're part of the Human American Rangers Pokecorps" she said addressing all the shaking figures. "That's HARP for short lass," remarked the driver, as he kept his eyes on the dark gravel road.

"W-what happened to me?" pleaded Helen between sobs. She seemed completely oblivious to the other figures in the back. "Now that is a tricky question," replied the driver. Sarah decided to elaborate, "We knew that the Remment corporation was conducting experiments but nothing like this" she said gesturing to the girl. Mark noticed her twitching tail, flicking back and forth as she continued to sob.

"Why did you rescue us?" asked the green haired girl meekly. "You are our proof," replied the man with the helmet, "we had hoped to find evidence of experiments on pokémon. Some photos or a document of what they were doing. Instead we found you". Sarah turned again in her seat to stare at the shivering shapes. "I had gone undercover in the facility. And so when I found out what they were up to I knew we couldn't leave you there. You're living proof of what that corporation has done". "What do you mean pokémon," smirked Helen between sobs, "pokémon don't exist". Sarah blinked absently at the girl, so did Francis."Huh? What do you mean pokémon don't exist, are you sure you're okay cause you're not making much sense," said Francis as he leant over to inspect the girl. The girl shied away, her tail flicked in fear. "What are you trying to say," she squeaked. "Darling you are pretty much are a pokémon," replied the driver. Helen looked at her hands the reality dawning on her for the first time. She began to hyperventilate in panic. Mark didn't blame her, he felt the same way. "Don't worry everything's going to be alright," said the dark haired lady. She was wrong.

Suddenly something large butted into the side of the van. This caused the vehicle to veer off the road and into the trees. "What the hell was that?" screamed Sarah over the sound of branches hitting the windshield. "We just got rammed by a Rhydon," the driver yelled back in angst as he braced the wheel. "That bastard must have cut through the woods to catch us," growled Francis from the back as he held on for dear life as he was bounced around the rear of the van.

The forest began to slope as the van progressed through the trees. It ran out of control down the hill as the driver tried to doge the larger trees and rocks in the path. A large tree loomed in front of the head lights."OH SHIT!" yelled the driver as he tried to avoid it. The van screamed past, trading paint with the large oak. They had missed the tree, but the driver had over-steered. The van slid horizontally down the hill for two meters before it began to roll slowly down the hill. It came to rest upside down after two short revolutions, against the bark of an old rotten birch.

...

The engine check light flashed stupidly behind the shattered dashboard. The driver hung from his seat, blood trickling from his forehead. Mark could smell it. He could hear it splatting against the roof. He could smell and taste his own blood as it matted his new fur. Groaning, he righted himself. The rear doors stood open and in the pulsating flashes of the emergency light he could make out other shapes. As he watched they began to stir. A hand shot out, grabbing Mark's shoulder. He swirled, trying to dislodge the offending limb. It held him firmly as a hoarse voice came from the arms owner."Take the others away from here, the retrieval team will be here soon," Francis coughed feebly as he looked at the metal shard poking from below his ribs, just beyond the protective armour carapace. "There's a cabin about ten kilometers South-East of here," he continued, "You need to find it. There's a woman living there. She'll know what to do," he finished drawing his pistol from the belt at his side. He let go of Mark and gave him a weak yet reassuring smile, "Good luck kid. Now Go!"

Mark scrambled away and began to hastily wake up the stirring forms. He made his way to the door, gesturing for them to follow in the intermittent flickering of the light on the dash board. Mark hastily guided them into the woods making them move quickly through the trees. "Those hybrids are really quite tough huh," came a weak remark from the front of the van"to think a little pokémon DNA and you can walk away from a car crash". "On the other hand I get my leg broken and I was the one with a safety belt. "Ah so little misses sleeping beauty has woken, at such a fine time too," chuckled Francis from his position on the floor. Blood frothed at his lips as he laughed, and he gave a weak wheezing cough. "Bite me!" said Sarah as she dangled from her chair, held in place by her safety belt. "I'm sorely tempted to missy," Francis said with another burbling chuckle.

Mark was running between dark trees. He was followed by a small group, all dressed in the same clothes and guide by the moonlight. One had golden rings shining in the darkness. One had a thin lilac tail and long feline ears. One had green hair which blew behind her as she ran. One had sparking fur. One had flame red feathers that glowed ever so slightly in the dark of the night. And they were all running into the dark woods. They ran into the unknown.

...

Back at the Remment Research labs Doctor Giovanni was nursing a shoulder covered with bloody bandages. He stood before a woman in a chair his face pale from the loss of blood. She had her hands tied behind her back her mouth was covered by duct tape. Her one eye was swollen shut and dried blood ran down her face from a split brow. Doctor Giovanni walked to a small table in the corner of the room with a steaming cup on it. He picked it up, sipping tentatively at the hot contents. "Oh now that's good coffee," he smacked his lips, a pleased smile spreading across his ashen features. "Now Miss Emily Stewart, or should I call you Sarah, Sarah Richards. Oh don't look so surprised, the resources at my disposal are really quite good," he said taking another sip of the coffee and retrieved a clip board from the table. "Here it is," he said with a pallid sneer, "Sarah Richards, married to Edward Richards. Oh HARP operative I see, very interesting". Sarah squirmed against her bonds, the chair squeaking audibly on the floor."Oh really Mrs. Richards, or can I call you Sarah. The formalities of this situation escape me; anyway you used to work as staff here. You worked in the office as a secretary, while your husband worked as security. You transferred in from another section of Remment Inc six weeks ago". Sarah was mumbling beneath the tape, trying to say something. "Oh you have something to say," Giovanni said as he approached. He viciously yanked the tape off, causing Sarah to groan. "Well let's hear it then". Sarah spat at him, hitting him in the face. He recoiled stumbling away from her. He wiped the spit from his face with the sleeve of his labcoat. "You'll never find them," Sarah yelled triumphantly. Rico Giovanni slapped her across the face, making the redhead gasp in shock. "I tried to be civil but, alas it will have to be the hard way this time". A quick gesture caused a man to enter the room to re-gag the captive."Hypno, if you would be so kind, would you please break into her mind". At this a yellow creature that came up to the doctor's chest entered the room. It carried an old silver coin, with a hole in the middle and strung up with a silver chain.

The Giovanni began to exit the room, "Hypno make it slow and painful, and Sarah, I think we can both learn something from this. And in case you still don't understand this will not be pleasant. Take care now". He left the room with a pleased smile stretching his lips as he took another sip of the coffee, "I need to drink this more often," he said walking down the hall.

Back in the room the yellow pokémon began to swing the coin on its chain. Sarah could do nothing more than stare at it. The coin began to swirl before her eyes. She felt dizzy. Dark shapes crawled in the corner of her vision. They slowly began to approach bearing fangs with sinister intent. One came close enough to bite her. The pain felt real as the shadowy fiend bit into her leg. 'Please be safe' she thought before the horde of phantoms descended upon her. She began to scream, the swirling fog of pain blocking her eyes, sending her into darkness.

Well thats that. Until next time. So please read AND review, it shows you care.

I hope the format has come out a little better, but there are bound to be spelling and grammar errors lurking somewhere just waiting to bite me in the ass. Truly I will try to edit the chapters as soon as I can, other than that ...

P.S. I'm gonna post some pictures of the characters with next installment, or maybe before, it depends on some things between now and then.