[ORP] Clean Slate (Rockets only)

[TRHQ Agent]

Almost exactly eight months had passed since the League led multiple strike teams out into the desert with the aim of ousting Team Rocket for good. Though they tried valiantly, even arrested a handful of Rockets, their efforts were essentially in vain. The Rockets had been returned, and their precious Champion, Team Rocket's little pawn, had been... removed from play. Though Team Rocket was scattered across Kodo, they were still very much there, continuing their work in secret, and building what would be their new base of operations.

And now, almost eight months later, the new base was complete. Construction was completed scarcely two weeks prior, and the time thereafter was spent systematically furnishing each room, setting up and installing large equipment transported in from the various outposts around the island. Now that everything was complete - there were still some things left to do, some finishing touches and the like - but the higher-ups had agreed that bringing all of their members to the new base was the best course of action now. Minor things could be handled later.

Ambergris was the first outpost called to relocate, given its (comparatively) large size and (overly)cramped conditions, and its residents were given 24 hours' notice of their imminent relocation in order to give them enough time to prepare. The next day, multiple inconspicuous black vehicles filled with Rockets filtered out of Ambergris one by one at varying intervals so as to avoid drawing any attention, and headed south. The trip ended somewhere in the beginnings of the forest, as the driver paused in a seemingly random spot - a small clearing - before the ground fell away before them to reveal a large tunnel. Large enough for the van to drive down into it, and follow its slow decline further underground as the ramp raised back to its standard position.

After quite a drive - walking down one of these tunnels would likely take a while - the van approached a large metal door that opened up to reveal the garage, filled with numerous other vehicles with bright, pristine lines painted on the ground that designated each spot for each vehicle. If one were to look around, they might notice a number of similarly large doors spaced all along the expansive room, likely leading to other tunnels like the one they'd just passed through. As their vehicle eased into one of the parking spots and the doors unlocked so that the Rockets could disembark, an elite moved forward to address the group with a rather smug, proud smile as she laced her fingers together behind her back, "Welcome to Team Rocket's new base," she announced, watching them all with a pleased expression, "also known as your new home. If you have any questions at the moment you may ask me them now, and once finished I will lead you up to the lobby where you will all receive your room assignments."  

[insidiousEnigma]

Zacharie had a large vocabulary...a very large vocabulary, and yet he had no word to describe just how excited he was.

When news had gotten to him that they were to be relocating to their new base, he had practically sprinted around the outpost gathering up his things. There had been experiments to neutralize, samples to collect, and things to carefully pack into their respective bags and boxes. He'd barely slept that night, instead choosing to babble to Jerome and his pokemon about the new plants he would be able to collect and the new science equipment he'd finally be able to get his hands on. He'd reported to one of the black vans bright eyed and bushy tailed as he hugged an oddly complacent Chiro to his chest. The rest of his pokemon had been safely put in their pokeballs for transport but since he had only recently caught the Pumpkaboo...he couldn't really bring himself leave him in the ball for an extended period of time.

As with the night before, the teen chattered excitedly to his partner the entire ride to the new base. Only quieting down when his attention was drawn to the dense forest outside of the window. "Look Chiro, it's our new home." He muttered to the fidgeting pokemon as he lifted him so he could peer out of the window as well. Though the minute the doors were unlocked the grunt was leaping from the van and practically bouncing on his toes with excitement. He hoped he could get a room with someone he could tolerate. Would he and Jerome get to share a room since they were partners now? Lu wouldn't be a bad roommate either...or maybe he'd even get his own room!

Wishful thinking but you never knew.  

[Gwennythe]

Tambrey's thoughts were, perhaps, not very far removed from Zacharies; she was certainly excited at the prospect of a return to regular labs and -proper- equipment, instead of having to rely on whatever she could access where ever and whenever without the reliability they'd once have enjoyed.

She'd been a grunt when they'd left the old base, and, as such, hadn't -really- gotten to enjoy the 'perks' of agenthood that had once been possible.
Still, now that would change.

Her excitement was quieter but her awe was still rather clear as they drove into a very very long tunnel, to reach a rather impressive 'garage' space.
"Hail Hydra..." She muttered to herself, unable to find anything rather more appropriate than the reference, and climbed out almost hesitantly when they stopped.

Questions? She had... so many.
What should she ask first?
"How deep are we?" She couldn't help but be curious; the tunnel had been long- not exactly steep (it was a road, after all) but long enough to make her wonder just how far underground they currently were.  

[TawnyAngel]

At last.

The condition in the outpost had really, really been trying Frost's patience. By contract the new base appeared very promising on first glance; clean and organized, and this was just the garage. His own space again, much less grime and unpleasantness and proper state of the art facilities! Oh the things he would construct in here, no more marking time or finding that he didn't have this that or the other than he required.

A new beginning.

Stepping out of the car Frost took a better look around, noting the doors leading off the large space and wondering where they went. Where was the workshop? How big a space would he have to work with? Was there capacity for expansion?... While the elite had called for questions he suspected that most of those would be answered once he started work, he didn't care to ask them publicly.

Instead the small blond stood quiet and still, hands folded behind his back, waiting to hear what others had to say.

_______________________

At last.

Aulus was out of the car as soon as it stopped and made a beeline for the front of the pack. Before he got all that far however he spotted Tam and stopped beside her. It was a pretty impressive set up at first glance, or maybe his standards had just been lowered by the rather lacklustre Ambergris outpost. Either way he wasn't complaining and was very much looking forward to room assignments. It wasn't like he had a lot of personal stuff left but what he did have he could set out and he could make plans for what he needed to get. His own room, his own safe space to retreat to.

A new beginning.

He didn't really have any questions of his own at the moment, though he was interested in hearing the answer to Tam's. So far as he could tell it would be business as usual again once everyone settled in and got familiar with whatever new security procedures were in place. So long as there were decent training rooms for his pokemon and for himself he'd be pretty happy, and couldn't imagine the boss and his executives being thick enough to forget such important facilities.

_______________________

At last.

The first thing KO wanted was a really long shower, a shower in grunt standard showers which might not be up to much but he was assuming they were better than the facilities in Ambergris and surely they had to be better than the trainee showers he'd had to use back at the old base. After that he needed to work out who his roomate was - luxury! Sharing with only one person! - and negotiate terms with them re: décor and standards of cleanliness.

A new beginning.

He'd have a fair sized closet, surely, so he'd be able to store his clothes properly and might even have space to fit in some new items. He was definitely due something nice, maybe he could work one something extra nice for the summer.

"How many floors are there?" KO put in after Tam's query, they'd find out soon no doubt but if he could find out now and save himself some bother so much the better.  

[Venti Mico]

The news about moving was exciting for Lu, in a "I'm not sure if I'm happy or if I'm going to puke" kind of way. Packing up his things was easy enough, and the prospect of moving somewhere was great. The new base was closer to his old home, and there were a few things he'd like to go back and get. The new base would have more space as well, and that was something Lu was grateful for- unless for whatever ungodly reason the base had low ceilings or door frames. Leaving the Ambergris outpost was good, Lu wanted to leave behind a few bad memories and move on(namely, saying hello to a certain pokemon and the chilly results).

But he had no idea what to expect of the new facility. He was nervous for no particular reason during the drive to the new base, listening to Zacharie's excited chatter made him feel a little better... until they were heading underground. Underground was one of Lu's least favourite places; it meant darkness. Sure, it was well lit, but what if something went wrong? They'd be stuck in the dark and probably left to die. Yeah... maybe not the best line of thought. Lu pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind when the vehicles came to a stop and everyone started getting out. Lu didn't want to ask anything that might imply he was afraid of the dark, so he kept quiet and waited for the elite to answer the questions that had already been asked. The garage was impressive; even if he was still worried about a disaster trapping them underground forever, he was curious to see more of the base. He hoped the bedrooms would be less cramped than the ones at Ambergris.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Jerome didn't get much sleep as it was in the cramped rooms of the Abergris base, usually surrounded by a good number of other Rockets, but the night before they were to be moved to the new completed HQ, the buzz of excitement in the room kept most of them up and talking, and harassing a few who complaining about the whispering.

Though Jerome himself was looking forward to having a new HQ, this one considerably bigger then the living space they had for the last eight months, he had done little to break his very usual mellow demeanor. Leaning forward as they pulled in from the tunnels to where the vehicles were kept.

Jerome knew of at least a couple of tunnels that linked to the new base, his team had, on several jobs run shipments to the first part of the tunnels, though he had not gone any further then that.
It was nice to start seeing the rest of it, and it was pretty great seeing how excited Zacharie seemed about it all.

"Hydra? What we changin' our name too?" He asked at what Tambrey had said while they made their way out of the vehicles.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Well this was a drive that Kyle would be getting used to, if he liked it or not.
The grunt was seated next to his partner, sharing the same vehicle as his group Agent, Jerome.
The grunt took more fascination with the tunnel network that seemed to span the underground, being far more vast then he had originally thought.
"How many places do these tunnels let out?"
He asked, hands in his pockets as he paced around to look out at the number of metal doors the room held in the garage.

Man he was going to need to learn them all wasn't he.

"Hope they give us a map" Ryan added, stepping up next to his partner.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The elite waited patiently as the various Rockets filtered out of their vehicles, and she tilted her head a bit at the few questions she received. A brief frown contributed to a thoughtful expression as she debated on Tambrey's question first, then finally responded with, "We're directly underneath Elemi Lake, and there is only one floor above us right now, which puts us at about... I think roughly 65 feet underground, give or take a few feet. There are eight floors," she went on, turning to address KO, "but the top floor is restricted."

"The tunnels," she continued, "go out to numerous points around the forest surrounding the lake, as well as near Sandalwood and the nearby mountain range. Maps can be downloaded onto your dexes after you've checked in and gotten your room assignments from the front desk." With that, she waited to see if there were more questions.  

[Gwennythe]

"Uh.. It's a comic book reference." Tambrey explained, grinning sheepishly, to Jerome, smiling a greeting to Aulus as she noted him arrive next to her, then listened, with interest, rather impressed, as they were told it was roughly 65 feet down at their current depth, with a lake above them.

Another floor above them too... This was such a cool base already, but that wasn't a very professional thought, so she kept it to herself, except for the expression on her face, and her barely resisted need to glance around, almost repeatedly.

Eight floors... At least one would be a lab floor, surely... So, back to a whole floor for labs! That would be so nice...

Hrm. Sandalwood. That was either really worrying, or really useful... Probably useful, Tam' decided; after all, she always considered herself to be careful.

She tried to think of another question, but found herself hitting upon answers to her own... Where were the labs? They'd get a map soon... How long until they got assignments to work on? That would be self explanatory soon enough, she expected. What sort of equipment was here already? Well, once she had a map she could probably go and see...

Ah. There was one.
She hadn't been in charge of distribution, after all, just experimentation and ease of implantation/augmentation of subjects... But she really wanted to see if there were initial results to play with or not yet.
"Are, uh... biological security measures already deployed?" She couldn't help but be interested in something quite so close to her.  

[TawnyAngel]

"Humm, an impressive feat of engineering," Frost murmured more or less to himself. It brought further questions to mind, such as how larger vehicles would get out, but such queries would be answered by a map and as they had just been promised such a thing there was no need to spend time asking now.

----------------------

"Marvel," Aulus added in an undertone to Jerome; he'd become much more familiar with 'geek culture' over the last few years than he'd thought possible thanks to Alex.... He missed Alex.

----------------------

KO nodded to the answer and then Tam's follow-up question; sounded like this place was pretty impressive, but he suspected he'd miss natural light before long. Hopefully he could get out and about on the road plenty, though of course most of his work time would be spent in the labs.

"Speaking of room assignment," he piped up again, "are arrangements similar to at the old HQ?" Worth asking, for all he knew the higher ups had decided to pack grunts into large dorms as well as trainees.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"I believe most of them have already been deployed, yes," the elite said in response to Tambrey's question, then turned to KO once again, "and yes, room arrangements are almost identical to those of the last base. You can see for yourself which rooms are on which floors once you get your room assignment and download a map onto your dex."

She paused once again and glanced around at the various Rockets assembled, and folded her hands behind her back. "Are there any further questions? If not, we will head down to the next floor so that you may all get your room assignments."  

[TawnyAngel]

KO shook his head, satisfied for now. "None here." Maybe there would be a chance to shuffle around roomates a bit given everything was new. Hopefully he'd get somebody bearable and wouldn't need to worry but if not, well, he'd take any opportunity to avoid living with a slob or somebody with no taste in music.  

[insidiousEnigma]

Zacharie rocked back on his heels as he listened to the Elite. He couldn't think of any questions that needed to be answered immediately other than who he would be rooming with and they were going to be finding out soon enough. In his arms, Chiro was squirming and making quiet annoyed noises; obviously not enjoying being held for so long. "I wonder when I'll be able to see the labs." He muttered to himself as he absently petted his pokemon.  

[Tori Honoo]

Riley, just as she had been quiet during the long drive, remained quiet as the other Rockets voiced their inquiries, amazed at the complexity and cleanness of the new base so far. They were only two steps into the garage and already it was so much better than the-- for lack of a better word-- dump she had been recruited into. Team Rocket looked much more powerful now, if the promises of the facility were correct, and the rush of intimidation had returned in full.

Finally able to stretch her limbs a little--the cramped van had done nothing for her long legs-- she released Molly to walk beside her, greeting the leafeon with a stroke of her palm atop her head as she continued to soak up the information being bounced around. Eight floors... wow. All underground...under a lake! The pokemon around here would be amazing to study...The tunnel system would be useful... maps... yes, maps would be good. The biological security was in place! Room assignments... that would be interesting...she had yet to experience a decent room assignment, even before her admission to Team Rocket.

Without any questions of her own, she surreptitiously made her way through the small group to stand closer by Tambrey, a small smile on her face as she asked, "Think you'll be able to show me where the labs are, later? The real ones that are actually labs?" The excitement in her voice, while quiet and ever gentle, couldn't have been missed, even as she teased. It was no secret that the equipment and space at the outpost hadn't been preferable.  

[Gwennythe]

"None more from me either." Tambrey confirmed, happily; now she just rather wanted to explore... to see her new room... Everything.

Ah, the labs.
"Erm. The ones we're allowed in." The agent nodded to Riley, mindful of the previous arrangements. "Though, to be honest, we'll be kind of seeing them at the same time. All new for me too, after all." She explained, with a touch of excitement, herself. Still... She /could/, at least, probably explain some of the duties, and how equipment was used now that they were back in a proper facility... Tambrey realised that Riley had yet to experience that, and, most likely, some of the machines they got back, that Riley would have access too, would be the same that Tambrey had been able use, as a grunt, before the move.