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 Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 5:52 pm
The thought of this place gave him the creeps. Always had, always would. So what if it was his first time coming there? It didn't make the place any less creepy. Note to self: Make sure not to come back if you can help it. Anyway, he was already there. Might as well complete the transaction, get his payment, and get out of there as soon as possible. The faster it went down, the easier it would be for him to put a great amount of distance between himself and the island.
Though there was a seat provided for him in the dismal lobby-esque area, Azriel had decided not to sit in it. He had no reason to relax while there, nor would he. His right boot tapped impatiently on the ground. He had places to be, things to take from unsuspecting people.
Taking from his waist a single pokeball, he began playing with it between his fingers without allowing it to grow to a larger size. Boredom brought on the sudden urge to take out the Zangoose he'd managed to snatch. Of course, that one was his own, and no matter how many times he was asked, he wouldn't sell it. Though neither of them would ever admit it, they did have a sort of bound. Even if they would occasionally bring about an enormous enmity between them.
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Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 6:55 pm
Before too long, a friendly-looking lab tech emerged from a door labeled 'TOP SECRET: Personnel only beyond this point!' wearing a small nametag that simply read 'Steven.'
"Azriel! How good to see you again! I trust you received our invitation and that's why you're here?" Smiling cordially, the tech tucked a clipboard under his arm and guided the other man towards a side room, set up similar to a lounge, soda and snack machines included.
Taking a seat for himself on one of the couches, he looked towards Azriel. "Haven't seen you in a while, friend. I hope you've been well. Unfortunately, the higher-ups won't let me keep this a social visit. They sent me to talk to you today. We have some questions about your...'work' lately."
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Spliced - Cronus Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 1:51 pm
Finally. How long had he been waiting? He didn't have a watch, so he couldn't tell, but it must have been at least ten minutes. Or an hour. He'd always been bad at estimating with time. He sighed as the other man entered.
"Yeah, I got it." Replacing the pokeball in his belt, he grabbed ahold of the letter he'd been carrying on his person. From the way his employers had acted in the past, he'd half expected the piece of paper to explode after he'd finished reading it. "Though it doesn't seem much like an invitation. More like a summons." The difference being whether it was voluntary or not.
"So, what do they want? If they have a complaint, Steven, maybe they should take into account that unlike their goons, I have no backup, and I actually have a face people can put a name to." He shook his head. When he got back to the mainland, he'd find someway to his face from people. But that would involve becoming invisible.
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 3:37 pm
Steven sighed and shook his head. "Sorry, man. These are their issues, not mine. I just get sent down here to deliver their grievances. 'Don't shoot the messenger' as the saying goes." He chuckled nervously, rubbing his neck with a sheepish grin.
Crossing the room to get a soda from the machine, he held off speaking until he resumed his seat. He popped the soda open and took a drink. "Listen, pal. From what I hear, the higher-ups are disappointed with your results lately. That or they're just getting greedy. Personally, I vote for the latter, but the point remains the same. They want more Pokemon and they're not happy about not getting them."
Shaking his head again, he eyed the Pokeball on Azriel's belt with a conspiratory grin. "Sure you don't want to sell us that one?" he asked with a smirk. It was a usual game between the two. Steven knew Azriel would never part with that one and Azriel knew that Steven would ask anyway, no matter what, on each visit.
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Spliced - Cronus Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 4:50 pm
"But you're the one I get to have such fun with everytime they have a problem." Azriel prefered shooting the messenger when he couldn't attack the sender. Or even see them, apparently.
He watched in a half-jelous fashion as Steven grabbed a soda from the machine. He knew better than to take anything, even if it was thrown at him, from his employers. "I'd vote for the latter, too. But that's still problematic for me." He shrugged. "Then they should hire more people. I get what I can."
He protectively moved his hand to his belt to clasp the pokeball. "Hmmm. Oddly enough, like the last dozen times: No." Just because he had stolen the Zangoose didn't mean that he didn't like keeping it with him. It was the one thing he wouldn't sell, though he'd received some nice offers for it.
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 7:25 pm
Steven grinned back, shrugging. "Eh, it was worth a try. Can't blame me for trying." Practically chugging the soda, the lab tech passively wondered about his addiction.
Then again, what lab tech didn't run on caffeine around this place?
Tossing the empty can towards the garbage bin across the room, he smirked and pumped his fist immaturely as the can disappeared into the garbage. Clearing his throat to hide his embarrassment, he continued as if nothing had interrupted their conversation.
"They're cracking down on everyone around here lately it seems. They have what should be plenty of people working, but they always want more. I'm not sure what's going on. Doc Hakan is stalking around like an angry Tauros some days...I make sure I stay out of his way in that case." Steven sighed, leaning back in the chair and relaxing, positive that no one was listening to their conversation, or his complaints at least.
"I'd say that they have far more than enough Pokemon right now," he continued. "More than I thought we needed for our research, but the bigwigs are still saying we need more. I wish I knew why or what they were for, because we have more than enough in my department at least." He shook his head tiredly once more before muttering, "I could use a drink."
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Spliced - Cronus Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 8:12 pm
"I can, actually." He watched enviously as the other man drank. "But I won't. Just don't do it again." He warned, entirely serious. "Or I might just have to give in to the urge of snatching that ID card from you and making your job just a little harder." Shrugging, he scoffed at the shot towards the garbage can.
On everyone, huh? "He's a creepy guy. Honestly, I only work for him because he pays well." In the back of his mind, he knew something wasn't right. If all they were doing was innocent research here, then they definitely wouldn't need him. Pokemon could be captured easily enough without having to be stolen. "I'd tell you to keep at least a mile between the two of you if I thought this island was that big." From up close, he thought it looked much bigger than from the boat. But that was a given.
"Then they shouldn't be on my case about it." He sighed, rubbing his eyes with his two fingers. "You have no idea what a pain it is to find what they want. They can be so specific sometimes. Like having to find a Pidgey with a green left eye and a blue right one." Of course, nothing they'd told him to get was that specific. But there were times when he had to find a pokemon that fit all of the requirements.
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 8:28 pm
While he'd grown somewhat used to the harsh nature of his 'friend,' that didn't make Steven any less nervous about dealing with Azriel when he started talking like that. Subconsciously, he glanced down, double-checking that his ID card was still there.
"Not particularly fond of the man myself, obviously, but..." He shrugged. "What can ya' do? I gotta' have a job, so I just do what I'm told and try to stay out of the way and under the radar for the rest of the time."
Azriel's latest revelation though raised a few eyebrows. Err...Steven's at least. "You've got to be kidding! I thought they just bought whatever you brought in! You mean they're that damn specific?!?" Calm demeanor slipping for just a moment with his surprise, Steven wondered just what the lab wanted with these particular Pokemon. Why would they need specific specimens?
"That IS strange," he mused softly. Whether or not he was talking to Azriel or just himself was unclear. "Something weird is going on here...where are all these Pokemon going? They come in, then disappear...they're not going to my lab, I know that."
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Spliced - Cronus Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 8:43 pm
Azriel had yet to actually take anything from Steven that was actually valuable. Maybe a pen or some other things to prove that he could, but other than that, nothing. If he really wanted to, he could have taken the ID. But that would involve a lot of work and the loss of a job.
"Just do what you can to keep the job and don't ask questions." Or just try to ignore the questions that you did have. Asking too much could end up getting them in deep trouble.
"The Pidgey thing was taking it a bit too far. But yeah, sometimes they do assign me specific stuff." He shrugged slightly, realizing that Steven really didn't get what was going on. Best not to tell him that once or twice specific people had been his targets while poke-napping, as well. That'd probably only serve to make the lab tech more spastic.
He wiggled his fingers in a way that seemed like he was using magic. "Yeah, they disappear, never to be heard from again. Spooky." He shrugged it off, honestly not wanted to go into depth about it, so he changed the subject. "Did you guys pay me yet for that last one that I brought?"
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Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 6:15 pm
Steven frowned at Azriel's question, forgetting everything else they had been talking about up until this point. "Wait...didn't the secretary at the front give you your pay last time? I swear, I told her to take care of it." Sighing, Steven shook his head, rubbing his closed eyes tiredly. "Good help is so hard to find," he muttered to himself.
"Look, I'm sorry about the mistake. Let's get that taken care of right now." Steven stood, heading for the door of the lounge. That secretary was about to get a piece of his mind.
Or would have been. Fortunately for her, that repremand would never come. Steven was shoved roughly aside as at least a half a dozen well-armed CRONUS guards shoved their way into the small room. Cringing as his shoulder slammed into the wall, Steven did his best to whirl around and shout angrily at the guards, though he didn't make the most intimidating figure. "Hey! What the hell is going on here?!?"
Ignoring the tech, the guards moved quickly to surround the other man in the room. "Azriel Zagarith? It would be in your best interest to come with us quietly. We have no problems, however, if you'd like to do this the hard way..." Grinning darkly, the squad leader's hand inched towards his waistband.
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Spliced - Cronus Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 6:44 pm
Azriel shook his head quickly. "No, nothing. I swear, that secretary probably forgets her own name." He'd had meetings with the woman before -she had never struck him as one to remember things. Even though his pay was probably a lot more important to him than it was to her.
"All right." Beginning to follow the tech out the door before they were completely separated by the large men.
He cursed lightly under his breath. This definitely wasn't good. Actually, it was probably the worst thing that could happen. Especially when the only backup he had was the Zangoose. "Hmmm. Let me think about that." He put his hand to his chin idlely, pretending to actually think about how he wanted this to go, casually glancing at each of the individual guards who were surrounding him. "I may have to take a raincheck on that repremand, Steven." After a few moments, he walked up to the man who seemed to be the leader and looked up at him.
"I choose neither." He tossed a small pokeball up into the air playfully, though Zangoose was still at his belt. This little one had been taken from the captain of the small squad. "Mind if I borrow this?"
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 1:30 am
Practically growling, the leader stared down at Azriel. "Alright, punk...you wanna' do this the hard way. I have no problem with that." The larger man cracked his knuckles, then made a grab for the stolen Pokeball. In the background, his men watched restlessly, wondering if they should help or wait for specific orders before doing so.
Meanwhile, a very confused and slightly pissed-off lab tech was staggering to his wobbly feet. "Dammit! I asked you what the hell is going on?!?" Despite the obvious difference in physiques, Steven grabbed the nearest guard by the arm and attempted to turn him around. "Listen to me! I don't know what the hell you're all doing down here, but you are sadly mistaken. I'll have you all reported to Dr. Hakan for this mes--"
*SLAM*
The poor tech slid down the wall, slumping listlessly to the floor. Smirking down at his unconscious form, the burly guard sneered, "Who do you think sent us, techie?" Chuckling, he turned his back on Steven, more interested in watching his boss face off with the real target of this mission.
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Spliced - Cronus Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 6:24 am
All right, so maybe it was't such a good idea to taunt the very large man, but hey, it was too late to take it back now. The thief grabbed the pokeball in midair and dodged to avoid the leader. So what if he wasn't as big as these guys? He was definitely leagues faster than them. All he had to do was avoid them until... Something happened.
That's when he realized how trapped he was.
If he somehow did manage to avoid this guard, there'd be half a dozen more waiting for him. If by some miracle he eluded them, then he'd still have to make it through the front door, where there was probably more security waiting. If he escaped this facility, then he'd have to avoid them until he got to the beach. And when he got to the beach, he was done. Zangoose couldn't fly him to a town or swim him to a sanctuary, and if he tried to swim, they'd probably catch him in a speedboat or something. And if he went to the woods, they probably would have a camera that would catch him and send more guards rushing. So what exactly wa-
The slam stole his attention momentarily. All he caught was Steven sliding down the wall -probably not dead, but still, useless. He bit his lip and attempted to get as much room between he and the guard as possible. Now he was completely on his own. "I'll be sure to send him my regards."
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Posted: Sun May 06, 2007 12:15 am
The squad leader took the momentary distraction as an opportunity to nod discretely to one of his men behind Azriel. The guard took the unspoken order and nodded, positioning himself quietly behind Azriel. Strength would only work on this one if they could catch him first. So, they'd have to find a way to trip him up a bit, or at least wait until he made the first mistake. The large man wasn't that patient though.
"I'm not sure you'll get that chance, but I can pass that message along for you if you'd like," the leader taunted, attempting to draw Azriel's attention back to the fight. "Anything particular you'd like to say?" He noted his subordinate had gotten into position on the floor behind Azriel. Now to make his move. Smirking, the leader lunged for the smaller man, trusting that if he missed, the other guard would manage to knock Azriel off his feet. They had the advantage of taking Azriel by surprise, right?
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Spliced - Cronus Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun May 06, 2007 2:24 pm
Azriel was again prepared to fight off the men. So what if he was cornered and surrounded. He could still avoid them for as long as he needed to. If worse came to worse, he'd use Zangoose to bust a hole through them. That would be his last option, though. If he did manage to escape, he'd have to have Zangoose as strong as possible to fight them off later.
"You're right. Once I'm free and clear of this place, tell him: 'Maybe next time.'"This guy was way too cocky. He, of all people, knew cocky. Whenever Azriel was cocky, he had something up his sleeve. And it was usually unfair. This guard might be the same way. His eyes glanced to both of his sides. None of them had moved an inch. So what was it th-
FLYING TACKLE. MOVE.
All at once, he realized that he hadn't looked behind him. Now it was two on one, and he had three seconds to choose which way he would go. Left and right wouldn't work, so his only option was...
He ducked to avoid the man flying at him and plunged forward to get away from the one behind, slipping under the leader as he flew through the air. Scrapping the ground as he passed under, Azriel landed not far from where he'd jumped from with painful floor burns. But those were definitely better than what the other possibility had been.
His position now, sadly, made him almost a complete sitting duck.
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