James crouched under a prickly bush. Rain dripped annoyingly off his hair and into his eyes as he shifted his body to get even lower into the muddy ground. The dark camo makeup he was wearing made long streaks down his face, oozing down his neck. He raised a pair of nightvision binoculars to his eyes, scratching his cheek on a sharp twig in the process. He bit his lip and said nothing, the scratch stinging from the camo paint. He let his eyes adjust to the errie neon-green glow, noting the shapes moving around him. Lighting flashed, followed by a loud, ear popping thunder crash. The rain continued to fall in torrents.
James sighed. Business as usual.
He rested the binoculars on the ground and looked back at the small leather satchel hanging across his left shoulder to rest on his right hip.
The bag was everything. It contained everything this mission stood for. He had risked his life for it. His right leg was throbbing with pain, a bullet having grazed it in his mad dash for the woods. He continued to chew his lip. He wasn't sure how much farther he could run. Blood seeped through his grey pants leg, mingling with the dirty water and rotting leaves on the ground.
Lightning flashed again. James ignored the boom that followed it mere seconds later. All his senses focused on a group of figures he saw in the clearing he was facing. No one but the cops would be out on a night like tonight. They stalked around the woods, waving their flashlights and beating the bushes with sticks. The flushed the woods, hunting.
Hunting for him.
James moved his hand back slowly to rest on the gun hanging in the holster on his hip. He knew that his one round of shot would be nothing against - the lightning flashed again and he counted - six armed policemen. Wheezing was with Jessie. He drew the gun anyway.
If all else failed, he could shoot himself, ending it before they had a chance to take him in.
James seriously hoped it wouldn't come to that. He closed his eyes and rested his head on his hands. There were so many things he hadn't done yet! Even though he told her he loved her everyday, he still felt like he needed to be there to tell Jessie that over again and again. He had friends who counted on him. And his little brother! What would Michael do without him?
James raised the gun to his head, the cool metal of the barrel easing his slightly fevered temple. It didn't matter. Jessie knew he loved her. Shortly after realizing the true scope of their job and the dangers it entailed, they had wasted no time in beginning an intimate relationship. There was no time to dilly-dally. In time, if he could have saved enough money, he had planned to surprise Jess and give her the storybook wedding she'd always dreamed of. They acted like a married couple anyway. They had lived together for so long. James knew he could trust her to look after Wheezing and Michael. Everything would be okay if he was unable to get out of this mess. He tightened his fist on the handle.
Suddenly the cops began to take off in the opposite direction, yelling orders to each other. James dropped the gun in relief and surprise. He felt someone nudge up against him. Red hair brushed against his cheeks and a strong arm helped him up.
"Jessie?"
She smiled at her partner. "Come on, James."
James felt himself being lifted and he stumbled clumsily over to the waiting motorcycle. He clung to Jessie's back and fell asleep as she drove off. The rain continued to fall.
Back at Team Rocket Headquarters...
Jessie tightened the bandage on James' leg and took away the water glass he had just emptied to take the painkillers she had given him. He smiled at her.
"Jess," he began, his eyebrows knitting together, "How did you get the cops away?"
"Meowth set off a bomb in one of their squad cars. It gave me enough time to bail you out. "
James nodded and reached for the satchel that had cost him the use of his leg for at least six to eight weeks. He opened the clasp and turned it upside down. Two small rocks rolled out of it into his lap.
He smiled at Jessie.
"Decoy. Did Gengiess get away?"
"Yup. He told me to thank you."
James smiled, stretched his arms, and closed his eyes. "No problem. Business as usual."
Jessie stood up and walked out of the room, flipping off the light as she went. She closed the door and leaned against it and sank to her knees. She collapsed into a fetal position, her body wracked with silent sobs. Too close this time. It was too close.
James stared idly at the ceiling for a while before falling into a disturbed and uneasy sleep due to the pain medication.
Silence fell over Team Rocket Headquarters.