[PLOT] Hope for the Best

[TRHQ Agent]

"Look," a hand raised in an entreating gesture, casting a faint shadow on the linoleum table, "we're all getting tired of this. Every day it's the same old thing - well, for you, at least, but even for me it's like every third day. Frankly, I'm ready to move on with my life. Safe to say the same goes for you?"

The Rocket, one of the five captured in the fiasco that had precipitated from the League's question and answer panel at PokéCon, gave no response, her eyes trained on that same linoleum table. Her hands were in her lap, fidgeting idly, but the subtle weariness in her expression betrayed more than did her silence. The League representative sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"You're worried," he guessed. "I understand. Your organization has threatened you with death if you were to as much as imply something that could be vaguely construed as traitorous. And let's face it: No one honestly wants to die. You're only human." The man pushed to his feet and moved to the door, opening it enough to poke his head into the hallway and voice a request for a couple bottles of water. He stood there for a moment, eventually uttering a word of thanks and returning to the table to set a small bottle of water in front of the detained Rocket. "Sorry, I'm sure something alcoholic would be preferred, but there are regulations and all that." He watched the young woman until he caught her eyes, then offered a shrug and returned to his seat, sighing excessively.

"We're slated for another two hours from here," he announced. "So how about a little change of pace? You seem like a nice enough girl. Complacent, save for that stubborn silence, so much so that I even convinced them to start foregoing the cuffs. You haven't been hostile at all, gave us your name - even your rank! What in the world made a girl like you join up with a lot like that?"

The Rocket sat in continued reticence for a while longer before eventually reaching her hands up for the bottle of water, undoing the cap absently. "It's a paycheck," she said, her tone passive. "No requirements save for a clean bill of health."

The interrogator's eyebrows raised. "Really? No accounting for the fact that it's a criminal organization?" He was met with a shrug.

"Everyone's got their reasons. It's not like we go out of our way to kill people, though. I worked in medical's pokemon division, so all I was was a de-glorified Nurse Joy."

"So you healed the pokemon that were used to attack civilians and steal their companions," the League representative concluded, drawing another spell of uncomfortable silence in response. "Team Rocket is a terrorist organization. Just because you've never personally pulled the trigger against someone doesn't mean no one ever died. It doesn't mean people aren't afraid, or that there aren't kids in Kodo crying right now because the pokemon they got for their fifth birthday was stolen from them." He drew a swig of water, then leaned forward and crossed his arms on the table. "Why would you not want to put an end to that?"

The Rocket, unsurprisingly, held her tongue. The officer sighed.

"I'm sure you remember," he said, "that we extended an offer of amnesty to whomever gives us some useful intel. If you're scared of losing your life, we'll protect you. Do you like working with pokemon?" He waited through her hesitation until she offered a curt nod in reply. "We can get you a job in a pokemon center somewhere far away from here. Ever heard of Almia? It's a beautiful little peninsular region, never been touched by Rocket by our reports. How does that sound to you?"

She frowned quizzically, opened her mouth to speak, then shrugged instead. The League representative smiled dryly, sensing her interest.

"How about this: You don't have to tell us anything. I'm gonna tell you a little story, then a simple hypothesis, and you can nod yes or shake your head no." The Rocket didn't respond, but since he could see that he had her attention, he continued nonetheless. "Now, this was more than a year ago, so I'm not sure how relevant it is anymore, but maybe you remember this. The Pokemon League came to Kodo last summer, and Camphoreon rolled out the red carpet to welcome us. One of our officers gave a speech that caused quite a stir, saying that it was likely that there were Rockets in that very audience. Of course, we had no way to confirm it, but it seemed a pretty safe bet. Things got a little rowdy if I recall, though not because of any Rocket activity - for once. But you see, here's the thing: That night, we gave out some of these little cards, innocent little business cards. What no one knew was that they had itty bitty tracking devices installed in the embossing."

The Rocket's eyes widened, her mouth falling slightly agape as she understood the implication of her interrogator's words. Realizing that her expression had betrayed her, she took the bottle of water into her hand to draw a sip, a clear blush ruining her poker face. Her company continued nonplussed.

"They weren't quite the roaring success we had been hoping for, but we did notice something interesting when we were tracking which way the cards went. Some of those cards - or rather, the people carrying them - headed north from the city, not along any of Kodo's roads. The only thing north of Camphoreon, though, is the desert." He paused, waiting for some response. There was only nervous silence, so he shrugged. "It got stranger, though, because the tracking devices kept stopping in this same place. Some ceased function there, and some suddenly changed course and headed elsewhere. Since then, the only thing we've been able to confirm about the desert is that it's dangerous to approach. A lot of us are thinking there's something to all this, like maybe we'd find some kind of hornet's nest if we looked a little harder. Do you think that sounds accurate?"

The silence that endured thereafter wasn't as long as it could have been, but the tension that seeped like sludge from the ceiling and filled the room made it feel like several slow, dragging eternities. Eventually, with tears in her eyes, the Rocket nodded once, faintly. The League representative nodded in reply, keeping a nonchalance to his disposition as he stood.

"All right then," he said as he moved towards the door, taking hold of the handle. "I'll let my superiors know your opinion. And I'll talk to them about the Almia deal; it's a shame you never talked," the emphasis he placed on the words was surely to comfort her, "but I'm sure we can work something out anyway. You don't have to worry."

He shut the door behind him as he left the room and stood outside the door for a moment before turning to one of the guards with a broad grin, "Got a bite."  

[TRHQ Agent]

A lone pokedex sat on the desk of one of the Pokemon League's officers. In regards to appearance, none had any reason to doubt that the device was anything but innocent; even its credentials cleared when the infrared sensor was scanned for verification. Everyone who interacted with the pokedex, however, was aware of its origin and its use: It was a counterfeit forged by Team Rocket to allow its agents access to the high-security PokéCon. The device, along with four others like it, had been confiscated by one of the captives shortly after their arrest, and most remained under lock and key. This one in particular, however, had come to serve an important function enabled by the fact that it could communicate directly with Team Rocket. Though efforts to trace the signal to its source had been thwarted, it had served a valuable purpose in negotiating the conditions of the Rockets' return to the organization. The League was in no hurry to accept any of these conditions until after getting some useful information from the arrested operatives, taking their time in responding to the offers and fishing for the one that would benefit them most.

There was a hushed buzz amidst the League officers involved in the case of the arrested Rockets, an electricity that put grins on lips and glints in eyes, as they finally gave an affirmative response to a recent offer. They weren't accepting because they liked the offer. The League had the upper hand; in theory, they could hold out until Team Rocket dropped every condition they had imposed. There was no longer any need for that, though, because they had something far more valuable than the captive Rockets. They had what essentially surmounted to a confirmation of the base's location.

Information regarding the prisoners and the interactions with Team Rocket had been kept on a need-to-know basis limited exclusively to the League and police officers stationed in the unassuming little building where the Rockets were being held, to the great frustration and disappointment of one clerical officer who had recently transferred into Camphoreon's police force. The police station itself was quiet - as quiet as one could expect a police station to be - and the secretary had grown impatient with the amount of news that reached the main office.

The League had been in contact with Team Rocket, he had learned. The League had accepted a proposal from Team Rocket involving the return of the prisoners, he had learned. Curiosity had compelled him to inquire further to no avail, met at every turn with a shaking head and a reminder that it wasn't any of their business.

Eventually, however, an officer unfamiliar to the secretary appeared at the station with a spring in her step, whistling cheerfully and replying to the welcome backs and long time no sees. She was someone who had been absent since the convention, the secretary was informed. It was speculated that she had been involved in watching the prisoners, a hypothesis supported by the fact that she returned after word that the League had reached a compromise with Team Rocket.

The transferred officer watched her with attentive curiosity and growing frustration as she coyly deflected questions about the Rockets, and eventually the commotion died out. The female officer disappeared into her department, and the secretary remained at his desk, a severe frown in his features as he shuffled papers in and out of folders and recorded details here and there.

"Excuse me."

The morning had worn into the afternoon, and slowly the station's staff had begun trickling out of the office to take their respective lunch breaks. The secretary, to his perceived fortune, had managed to catch sight of the unfamiliar female officer just before she disappeared through the doors. She regarded him with polite attention, raised brows serving as the only indication of her discomfort.

"Sorry, this is probably really strange, since we've never met, but I just wanted to, uh-- Sorry, my name is Colin, by the way."

A good-natured smile broke into the officer's features as she laughed. "It's no problem. I'm Emma. Is there something you need?"

The secretary's hand raised to the back of his head. "Need, not so much, but, well… Are you on your way to lunch? I just wanted to talk about some stuff, so…"

The smile on her lips became faintly wry, and she placed a hand on her hip. "Just so you know, I have a boyfriend."

The newer officer stared wide-eyed momentarily, shaking his head emphatically, "No! No, that's not what I meant! It's just that I transferred to this branch only recently, and I couldn't help overhearing some of the things the others were saying, and I was kind of curious. If it's a problem, it's fine. I just wanted to talk for a little while."

She didn't seem to think it too much of a problem, and with a shrug and a bit of a resigned expression, she agreed to accompany the secretary to a nearby deli. When they had ordered, received their food, and seated themselves, she prompted him to speak of his business.

"I'm from Ambergris," the clerical officer said, idly picking the toothpick from his sandwich and laying it aside. "I don't know if you're familiar with the rumors, but they say the town is in that sorry state because Team Rocket sucked it dry. I joined the police force thinking I could make a difference, but I never really had that opportunity. After the whole PokéCon business, I transferred to over here in Camphoreon, but they put me at a desk and I haven't as much as heard anything about the Rockets. I mean, it's true that they arrested some, right? That wasn't something they just made up to put people at ease?"

His company smiled in sympathy, "I can promise you that that's the truth. They did in fact arrest five Rockets."

The secretary relaxed. "So it's true that you're one of the ones who was involved in the interrogation?"

"Hmmm." The sound was musical in quality, hands reaching for a packet of sugar to tear open and empty into her iced tea. "Possibly. None of those officers are supposed to say anything about the experience, though." The reminder was a passing one and not particularly firm in its intonation. The other deputy frowned with a sigh.

"I know, I know; I shouldn't pry. I just wish I had something to tell my sister about the whole thing…"

"Family back in Ambergris?"

A nod, responded to with another faintly songlike hum.

"You know what?" the woman said, her words soft. "Tell your sister she won't have to worry for much longer. Ambergris will start healing soon."

The male officer blinked in slight confusion, tilting his head askance, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well-- Excuse me, could I have a box?" The passing waiter gave a word of understanding and continued on his way, returning before too long with the requested styrofoam container. "I have a feeling things are going to start to change. Woman's intuition, you know?" She winked, placing the remainder of her meal in the box and hooking it shut. With that, she stood and collected her belongings, "I'm gonna head back to the office. I've been away from my desk for ages and you would not believe the paperwork that's piled up. I'll see you around, Colin."

Words of farewell were exchanged, and the policewoman started towards the entrance, fanning herself with the receipt from her meal. "Ahh," she whined, "but isn't it so hot this time of year. They sure won't be paying me to waltz into the desert."

The secretary blinked after her, interpreting her parting words as a message to him - a message he understood too well. Though he'd hardly eaten from his meal, he gathered it up on the tray and carried it to the waste bin. Outside the eatery, he looked both ways to note which the officer had gone, then started opposite from her, a black smartphone in his hand. He walked with a purposeful stride that passersby ignored, his eyes on the screen in his hand as he tapped out a text.

Traitor confirmed. They have the base's location.

The message sent, and the menu exited out to the home screen and its current wallpaper: a stark black slate embossed with a red R.  

[TRHQ Agent]

Wild Rapidash weren't an excessively common sight around Kodo - not so much as their younger forms, at least - but if one was to be found, it was certainly in the desert or its surrounding area. One such Rapidash tore across the sands at speeds that were liable to throw a rider of any skill, never resting once as bright frames licked at the late summer heat. The horse moved aimlessly, kicking up a light spray of coarse sand as it turned and swerved across the terrain. Eventually a tall shape began to emerge in the hazy distance, and the Rapidash gradually slowed to a trot as it turned its head curiously to regard the structure. A large building, at least four stories above the ground, if the fire-type's knowledge of Camphoreon's infrastructure was any indication. A meandering gait picked up into a canter and into a gallop as the pokemon circled the architecture.

Somewhere within said architecture, a proximity alarm blinked. A monitor flickered in response, displaying the Rapidash from some external camera. Another screen amidst a collection of many showed a Pidgeot wheeling in the sky. It was far from an uncommon occurrence to sight such pokemon moving about in the desert, so no special attention was paid in favor of addressing the structured chaos unfolding throughout the building's interior. Outside, the Rapidash moved aside suddenly, bewildered, as a broad section of earth suddenly parted and an aircraft raised up from the ground.

Some distance from that place, amidst the open grassland of the Calamus Plains, a small encampment had been erected, comprised of a large canopy to offer shade from the sun, a table with chairs beneath, a few coolers, and some still-packed luggage. A small radio device sat upon the table, and a middle-aged man sat near it as he manipulated a deck of cards in a game of solitaire. There were others strewn about the area as well, two men and a woman, who busied themselves in a pokemon battle. Eventually, the older of the group stood from his cards and looked out towards the desert with a sigh.

"Worried about your sweetheart?" one of the younger men remarked, his tone teasing.

"You would be too!" the woman countered, leaving no opportunity for the comment's recipient to respond. "It is taking longer than we expected, you know? How about we send your Sandslash out there to check up on them?"

The man stuck out his tongue and moved to pat said Sandslash affectionately, their battle ending prematurely under the influence of the interruption.

His opponent, a Skarmory's trainer, looked towards the eldest of their group with a frown that quickly evaporated. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," he assured, his tone cheerful. "Worse comes to worst, she's got ol' Podge looking after her, and he's never let me down before."

The woman nodded her eager agreement. "Besides," she added, "if they were intercepted, it would have been at the perimeter where the tracking devices stopped a year ago, right? They would have been back by now if they hadn't been able to proceed."

The older trainer grumbled impassively at his juniors' optimism. True, there was no foreseen reason that their mission should fail. Efforts to investigate the desert a year ago had been thwarted by sandstorms, pokemon attacks, and other interferences, and the area had been written off as too hostile and unforgiving for Team Rocket to have utilized the land for its purposes. With the cooperation of a certain canary, however, it suddenly seemed a much more likely possibility that that hostility and unforgiving nature were indeed the result of Rocket activity. A Rapidash and a Pidgeot, each known for their ability to achieve significant speeds and each native to the area, had been fitted with a subtle camera rig and sent into the desert to investigate. To minimize chances of discovery, they had foregone connecting the cameras to any sort of network, sacrificing the convenience of live streaming video for the sake of covert operations. The result was an agonizing period of unsureness as they waited and hoped for the pokemon to return.

"Leslie!" The older man's shout of enthusiasm pierced the summer quiet, and he moved forward with his arms spread wide as a Rapidash approached, slowing as it did and nuzzling into its apparent trainer's embrace. "Good girl, good girl! Did you bring Podge back with you too?"

As if on cue, a large shadow passed over the area as a Pidgeot alighted near its own trainer. The group all turned to regard one another, a quality approaching giddiness in each of their features. The cameras were dismounted from the pokemon, and the four assembled in the tent's shade. One unpacked a small television as another began connecting various cables, and the screen flickered to life. Breathlessly they fast-forwarded through a length of rough footage of sand dunes and empty horizon until, eventually, the scenery shifted.

The Pidgeot's trainer let out a long, low whistle as he leaned against the back of a chair. The senior trainer paused the recording and took hold of the radio, activating the device to convey his message.

"Survey to home," he said, his eyes trained on the blurry image of the tall, black tower, "we have visual confirmation."  

[TRHQ Agent]

((Please take note that this solo is comprised of events that lead up to the upcoming raid and have not yet occurred ICly and should not be reflected in any RP. They will occur ICly shortly before the raid begins next week.

Because participation in the upcoming raid is limited to trainer characters, an ORP reserved for Rocket characters will be posted in the coming days to occur, ICly, around the same time as the raid.

Stay tuned!))