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 Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 10:20 pm
Inboxes were tricky things. Sometimes they held good things, like messages from friends or sold eeBay listings. Sometimes they held things that made you cringe, like social network notifications that people you really wanted to leave in high school had found you and conveniently forgotten how they flushed your head in a toilet. And sometimes, more often than anyone would like, they held messages that could be good or bad and no indication which way they leaned.
The grunt named Panther would find one of the latter the next time he logged on.
'Report to my office at 10 AM tomorrow morning. - Nadja'
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 10:36 pm
Such an E-mail was not what he wanted to see when he walked checked his computer at night. It being from Nadja sent the hair on the back of his neck into the air. It was a lot like her, impossible to read into. He couldn't recall having done anything wrong lately, he had been careful to lay low, not wanting to disrupt the new balance of his life. After medical leave, he had finally been stuck back on surveillance. But with recent events, it's possible it could be about that.
Panther tried not to think too much about it, even as he walked to her office at 5 till the next morning. He gave her door a quick rap.
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 10:40 pm
There was the usual snorting and snuffling, courtesy of the giant fire dog just behind the door. Nadja's voice rose over the noise.
"Come in, Panther."
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 10:46 pm
He adjusted his hat, and sunglasses once, just to make sure they were in place, before opening the door. He paused only long enough to allow the Archnine to give him a once over before walking to the middle of room. "You requested me ma'am?" he saluted, looking at her, to try and figure out why he was there.
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 11:00 pm
"I did. Have a seat." Nadja was at her desk, backlit by the mid-morning sun coming in from the windows. When she gestured at the chairs before her, the gauze bandage on her shoulder shifted and creased.
Moloch snuffled carefully over Panther's hat and glasses, more intently than before - not just a cursory once-over but a real inspection - then danced back on his paws to let the Rocket pass.
"Are you enjoying the outside air?" the redheaded elite asked while this was going on.
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 11:09 pm
The grunt was mildly surprised at Moloch's thoroughness, but didn't try and move away from the big dog until he was done. Only then did he take a seat directly across from her. "Yes." Weather she ment surveillance or his recent trips to train off base, didn't matter. He ment it for both. But she didn't call him here for small talk, did she? His glanced her over, noting the recent injuries, much smaller then the last set he had seen on her.
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 11:33 pm
"Good. You've been away from it for a while," the elite noted (with no trace of irony.) And that was the end of the small talk.
Nadja sat forward, somewhat stiffly. The last raid had left her in much better shape than her encounter with the chandelier, but she still bore injuries - mostly scrapes, bumps, bruises and cuts that would be minor on their own but added up to a general feeling of 'ill.'
"I'll make this brief," she began, while Moloch padded across the carpet to join them. "You were put on probation for insubordinate behavior - something that, I am happy to note, I have not received any reports of for several months. In addition, your performance on recent missions has been strong. I daresay you've showed an increase in maturity since our first meeting."
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 11:43 pm
Compliments? He was wondering what the catch was, but he wasn't going to stop her, or tell her otherwise. He had worked hard to keep out of trouble lately, well any trouble not mission related.
"Thankyou?" it came out more a question then actual thanks, reflecting the puzzled look on his face. He tilted his glasses forward on his face to get a better look at her over the brims.
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Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2011 11:54 pm
One of Nadja's funny little smiles quirked across her lips.
"You're very welcome, Agent."
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 12:00 am
Agent? His mind drew up a blank. He must have woken up in the wrong universe this morning. Agent?
He took his glasses of to get a good look at her, and she smiled at him. "What?" his expression was more akin to a magic carp then that of an agent's.
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 12:14 am
It was more of a smirk now, really, but a friendly one - or at least, not malicious, enjoying Panther's nonplussed reaction in good humor.
"You'll be moving quarters," the elite continued, as if there wasn't someone gaping across the desk at her, "and will need to report to stores for your new uniform. You should have everything sorted out within a week, preferably."
Moloch waved his feathery tail slightly, hopeful this good mood of his person's would stick.
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 12:18 am
He snapped to his feet giving her a salute nearly catching himself in the eye with his glasses. "Yes.. Yes Ma'am." he was grinning, clear and easy. He could probably move with in the night.
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 12:31 am
An amused sound escaped Nadja as she sat back, looking satisfied. "Don't hurt yourself. You're not dismissed yet - there's an opportunity that might be of interest."
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 12:35 am
He deflated. There was a catch. Whatever it was, he'd do it. Being an agent would more then make up for it. He sat back down putting his hands in his lap, but leaving the glasses off. Despite his bubble being poped, there was still a slight smirk on his face.
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2011 12:53 am
"You've heard the latest mission's news, I'm sure." Nadja had a swivel chair, and she rotated a quarter-circle to narrow her eyes at the bookcases lining her office walls. "Hot topics aside-" She sneered slightly at the thought of the former 'Rocket' down in the cells, "-there was another problem - namely that when our helicopter's pilot was injured, someone had to receive rapid on the job training."
She spun back to face Panther, businesslike. "I want to prevent that scenario from happening again. As more of our missions take us off Kodo, we'll need agents who can operate helicopters and other complex vehicles - at least two per mission. Are you interested in that sort of training?"
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