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 Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 12:11 pm
Dismounting from Yuan's back, Kratos stroked the bird pokémon's neck feathers and took out the card that Weidman had given him. Another inspection revealed nothing out of the ordinary that he could see, but he was no tech expert and thus couldn't be certain that it was the cause. It seemed likely, but the only way to find out would be to wait for the team.to arrive.
"Acknowledged."
Yuan warbled, his green eyes bright with concern - why had they stopped? What was the transmission about? Kratos hushed him and rested a hand just above his shoulder joint - there was nothing for the pidgeot to be concerned about.
"Stay calm, Yuan. You don't need to worry just yet."
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 2:46 pm
The sound of her 'dex going off had snapped Tambrey had of a shallow doze, while she rode along in a back seat of one of the vehicles headed back to HQ, and made her jump.
"Whassat?!"
Temporarily stunned and still sleepy, the grunt had peered at the device she'd extracted from her bag for a good few seconds.
"Hello?" She said to it, before remembering she needed to press the button.
"Hello?"
Oh, right. Identification.
What was going on? What signal?
"This is, uh, Grunt Greene... This is definitely my 'dex... I think..." She frowned and double-checked. "Y'can tell which 'dex signature or somethin' this is anyway right? 'S definitely me." Oh, Arceus, please don't shoot me...
She was a little more awake now.
Oh. Oh good.
A team.
This was either going to turn out to be really serious or really embarrassing; she tried to think of what she could have done to be broadcasting a weird signal and eyed her bag suspiciously.
The only thing that wasn't hers, in there, was that card, but that surely couldn't be it?
"Uh. Okay." She sat back and huffed. Then remembered to end the transmission on her end.
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 2:50 pm
Nakura turned his head and frowned at Asch when the agent mentioned Faleen but not him. It was either that he thought of the grunt as superior and unworthy of mention, or he just didn't want to say his name. Or maybe a bit of both. How childish...and yet it gave Nakura an idea. As the response from headquarters echoed through the three 'dex speakers, the grunt flinched. He glanced back at the card in his hand.
"Pardon...may I ask what you mean by 'unauthorized frequency'?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 3:01 pm
[Izaya]
"A frequency we haven't authorized." The voice, this time only coming from Izaya's 'dex, sounded a bit tetchy. "Stand by."
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 3:17 pm
The grunt frowned at the response he received. Well, that was a big, fat 'duh'. He may not have been as savvy as people in the tech department, but at least he knew about frequencies.
He glanced at Faleen, knowing he should have probably talked something out with her first, but she was tired and they didn't have much time. Nakura spoke back to the person at the other end of the line from headquarters.
"Excuse me, sir, but if we are somehow being tracked through that unauthorized frequency, and all...'parties' are halted at a certain point in the desert, wouldn't it seem a bit suspicious for us all to stop along a particular perimeter without any apparent reason? It might only draw attention to ourselves."
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 3:55 pm
[Izaya]
This appeal did not seem to have the desired effect.
"Stand by, agent," the voice stressed, now sounding harassed with strong overtones of 'shut up.' "Let the cleanup crew handle this."
----------
[everyone]
The desert held no heat at night. It was a cold wait, stark and windless under the stars.
Presently a glow shone in the distance from the direction of headquarters. It resolved itself the headlights of a dark blue standard-issue Rocket vehicle that swung up beside the returning Rockets' car and pulled to a halt. Four Agents emerged, with the grim expressions of people in a tense situation with a job to do. One had a thick-looking briefcase. Another rapped on the window of the car.
"Everyone out."
Similar teams met the patiently waiting Kratos and Tambrey. After a terse verbal confirmation of their identity, all were asked the same question.
"Did you acquire any unfamiliar objects on your mission?"
("Marv," someone corrected the speaker for Tambrey's team. "It was their day off."
"Was it? Figures; wasn't mine.")
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 4:09 pm
[NPCs]
Ah. So it was the cards, then - or very likely, anyway. Kratos nodded, his own expression as serious as the ones on the agents who had approached him. "These cards were being given out, and some who were reluctant to take them initially were handed them," he said simply, resting the innocent-looking object on his palm and holding his hand out to the waiting agents.
He hadn't trusted these things from the beginning - but if bringing the cards back meant that the team could get a better idea of what the league was planning, then so much the better. And if the cards were not what was transmitting the signal... well, Kratos understood the necessity of searches, unpleasant though they were.
A part of him hoped that it wouldn't come to that, however.
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 5:44 pm
As the vehicle of the security team pulled up and someone knocked on the window, Asch calmly departed the vehicle. Again he gave his identity, but when asked if he'd acquired any unfamiliar objects, Asch's reply was just as terse.
"No."
However, he did cast a glare in the direction of Izaya. Was this his doing? His Absol had made a mess of things after all. Then he remembered there being mention of business cards, of which Asch had not bothered to get. Oh hell. Had the others really been so stupid as to take those with them?
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 6:10 pm
With a sigh, the grunt threw up his hands in frustration and leaned back in his chair. He folded his arms across his chest and pouted at the open Rocketdex still sitting in his lap. Oh well - he'd be good this time. If they messed up, it'd be on their heads, not his. At least he wasn't part of whatever 'cleanup crew' was sent to handle the situation.
Briefly shifting his gaze toward Asch and Faleen to see what they thought of the situation, he then looked straight ahead and sunk down in his seat, slouching. It was the same behavior a pouting child practiced to express their dislike of their powerless situation even if they knew they could do nothing about it.
When the agents finally showed up, Nakura did as he was told and promptly hopped out of his seat. Once he was out, however, he ripped up the business card he'd copied the information from. "Just a business card," he grumbled grudgingly, holding out the pieces of card for the agent to take - at least if he could get them before the scraps were scattered to the winds.
Once that business was taken care of, he stuck his hands back in the pockets of his black slacks and stood by grimly, waiting for the others to finish their business.
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 6:12 pm
(Team Rocket Border Patrol)
Well, this was no fun, waiting in the desert, dressed up, for a security team.
Tambrey spent the wait laid back to watch the sky.
Her bag sat under her left hand, while her right arm cushioned her head.
She heard the security team approach and stood as they exchanged words, confirming who she was.
Marv?
She probably wasn't suppose to learn /his/ name and, despite the situation, smirked a little at his complaining.
"If 't makes y' feel better, 's a crummy end t' a day off. Not that i's not nice t' meet you, 'Marv'." She responded, out of some combination of nerves, amusement and tiredness; the former seemed most prevalent. She dug the card out of her bag and offered it out.
"Just this, uh, Police-Force-Plus hotline card thingy... League was givin' them out and y'know we have t' do a report (some day off, see?), so I thought 't might o' been useful... Looks kind o' thin t'be a transmitter? Not that 'm tech or anything..." She thought for a second- security detail, they probably outranked her- and amended "Sir."
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 7:48 pm
At the mention of an unauthorized frequency, a look of confusion and concern crossed Faleen's features, but she didn't make a comment on it.
She planned to do as she had been instructed, though listening to Izaya replying back, she had to admit, she did agree with his concern.
A curt reply was given back to him, and he ceased talking to it at all.
"I'm certain they've thought of it." she assured him "and are dealing with it before it becomes a problem."
She couldn't know this for sure, but she had faith in her team's abilities... she hoped.
"I'm going to have a look around the car for any tracking that might have been attached." She said, not bothering to put her shoes back on as she opened her door and climbed out.
"I should have done this sooner" she half growled before walking around the exterior "They knew we would be there."
Stupid stupid stupid!
By the time the team showed up to meet them, Faleen joined the other two outside, furrowing her brow in confusion when they asked if they were given anything, not even thinking about the card until her partner pulled his out.
Frowning, she reached into the car to get her bag out, pulling the card out as well.
"This was it."
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 8:49 pm
[everyone]
One of the agents on each team was equipped with a flattish baton, which crackled and buzzed as they were brought near the Rockets. When the batons swung toward the cards (or pieces thereof,) they whined. None of the agents involved looked pleased.
----------
[Kratos]
Kratos' compliant nature was a boon to the security team, and they seemed to know it, treating him with a brusque but polite efficiency. "Given out by who?" the agent in charge of the 'search' asked, taking the card and squinting at it in the glare of the still-running headlights. "Tear-un.. ..Weirdman. Hell kind of a name is that."
[Tambrey]
"Heh." The one called Marv made a brief grunt of grim amusement. "You're not the only one - picked up three more like yours." He took the card in his gloved fingers and flicked it, frowning. "There's one in here, or something like - they make 'em the size of rice grains now. Where'd you get this?"
[Izaya, Faleen, Asch]
The only new additions to the car were a fine patina of sand dust and a small ding in the passenger side door.
As the cards were produced the wand's whine rose in pitch and intensity; the agent in charge of it grimaced and swung it away. "Oh yeah. Those're it. Ted, have a look at these."
The Agent with the briefcase came forward and set - rather than dropped - the case into the sand. Then he plucked the scraps from Izaya's fingers (with a 'Really?' brow raise at the grunt) and fingered the edges, teasing out a hair-fine wire. "Microtransmitter," the man declared; one of the other three nodded shortly. "Really micro." He knelt down and flipped open the case, keeping the torn bits of card in his fist. "Where'd you get these?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 9:03 pm
It had honestly been the only thing that had been given to her, she had forgotten about it even, just something unimportant.
As the whining picked up as the baton moved over the card, her eyes widened, remaining very still as she watched then men work, and conform there was a micro-transmitter in them.
"Oh my gosh." Faleen turned pale, and her hands reached up to her head where she took a step back and looked around, lost in her own head, with a look of horror.
There had been a transmitter in the CARD!? MICRO- again - Micro transmitter. and they just about lead the way back to HQ with it!
One slip, just one slip and who knows how much the League knew now. And to add insult to injury, she's the one that specialized in Micro work!
"A League official was handing them out at the event." She said in a breathless tone. "What has it been sending out?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 9:12 pm
As the baton was passed over him, Asch came out clean. He didn't have one of those cards after all, so he had expected as much. The young agent folded his arms across his chest and watched as the team discovered the micro transmitters inside the card stock.
Raising a hand to rub his forehead, Asch sighed. This could have been quite the disaster if they'd led the League back to HQ. Sneaky bastards. Seems that they were getting serious now.
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 9:19 pm
[NPC Border Patrol]
Somehow Kratos wasn't surprised in the least to see the card set off the wands, and was just quietly relieved that the security team was as efficient as they needed to be in this kind of situation. Security breaches could never be handled lightly, no matter how minor the cause might be or how much it might frustrate the unsuspecting offender. After all, one slip up, one overlooked incident, and everyone could end up compromised.
"Weidman, sir," he said, watching the Agent look over the card - transmitters in business cards, huh? That was interesting, if concerning. "He gave the announcement and promoted the distribution of the cards."
Which, to Kratos' mind, meant that he likely had been one of the - or maybe even the primary - parties responsible for the disguised transmitters. It was an excellent way to get to an organization with a developed security system, and if HQ had been any less careful than they were, someone might have ended up leading the way straight to headquarters.
Given that the league was in the region now, Kratos guessed that it would have been a matter of hours at best before they moved in.
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