genesis . valerie

[zubatman]

If Fernando had any praise for the Celadon Game Corner, it would be that they were resourceful. Several years ago, Team Rocket had established a secret hideout underneath the renown game corner. Rumor had it was that they ran the casino too, but when ownership changed hands the based remained. Instead of trashing the basement floor, they remodeled it and banned entry until it could be converted for some more devious purposes. Probably another black market to replace Cobblepot’s.

Fernando cared little for whatever they were going to do with the expansive space. No, what he wanted was access to any remnants of the Team Rocket base that was left. Surely an esteemed organization such as Team Rocket would have something of value that he could use. Something he could twist and manipulate for his own person gain. That was the only reason he had called one of his contacts, an odd ranger who had an unhealthy infatuation with him.

Calling her for a warrant had proved to be the easiest way to gain him access to the underground premises without any prying eyes. All he had to do was stave her off long enough for him to take a look around, searching for anything of value. In all actuality, he would probably be leaving empty handed but it was worth a try. Something told him that there was something worth spelunking for, something that was worth consorting with the likes of Valerie.

Patiently, he waited inside, seated on one of the slots closest to the entrance as he tried his luck. Time was precious but at least he could waste it on something other than idleness. Another pull of the slot’s arm forced it to spin again, each wheel slowing down as if to tease him.

Suspense was something saved for trash.

[valerie]

Even though he'd summoned her at least twenty minutes ago, Valerie was having a hard time getting a search warrant from her boss. Not because it wasn't easy to get the warrant, but because she had stopped to have lunch with the man first and discuss some key elements to her life as a Ranger, things that couldn't be discussed at another time. So, full on steak and promises, she took the warrant with her and mounted her motorcycle outside of the station.

Being in Kanto was different for her, a different place where she'd spent some amount of time but not enough to say that she was entirely familiar with it. Luckily, Saffron was only a stone-throw away from Celadon and she had no problem getting there. The Game Corner was also easy to spot, due to flashing lights and a huge logo with tons of pokemon and sleazy trainers lingering out front. Even though Rocket's hideout had been exposed, the Game Corner lived on, though run by different owners now, of course.

She got off her bike and and pulled down her sunglasses, putting her helmet in the seat of her bike and putting out her cigarette. A lot of things to do at once to look fabulous. She noticed a few gawking at her and chose to ignore the attention as she strode into the game corner, hooking a thumb on her belt. "You ready to do this shit?" It didn't take long to find Fernando playing one of the slots and she tossed the warrant down on his lap and looked around, staking out the place. She'd come here for business and business she would do.

[zubatman]

Valerie’s voice was several times more familiar that it should’ve been. Just acknowledging the fact that she was nearby was enough to make him inwardly groan, ignoring the slots as they landed with several loud plinks. Ignoring the trivial payout, Fernando turned, only to have the warrant land squarely in his lap. Odd how she could seem serious when Fernando fully well knew what to expect. Hopefully, he was just being pessimistic.
Hopefully.

“Whenever you’re ready--”

As if he’d allow her to act as if she was waiting for him. Before she could even answer him, Fernando was beside her, glowering at the slightly smaller woman.

“Officer.”

[valerie]

Valerie used the cover of her sunglasses to survey the Game Corner, eyes flickering over the old die-hards who couldn't seem to stay away from the slots. Gambling all of your money away wasn't illegal, but fixing the slots were. She eyed a woman who had been winning every couple of games and made a mental note to keep an eye on her. It took her a minute to remember that Fernando was standing next to her, waiting for a reply to something he'd said, something she'd barely heard.

"I'm fine, no need for such trivialities." She incorrectly guessed what he'd said, but didn't seem to notice. Once she was in Ranger mode, she was almost certainly going to stay that way until she thought the job was finished. And today's goal was to find something of relevance in Rocket's old hideout. It hadn't been made public when Rocket had disbanded and so Valerie was hoping that not many people had been going in and out. "Follow. Don't make eye contact." She commanded, strolling leisurely through the aisles, looking over at certain people and then sidling up to the wall.

The poster had been changed to one supporting the Rangers and she slipped her hand underneath the poster to pull the switch. One of the women behind the counter watched the pair suspiciously until Val tilted her sunglasses down and offered her badge, winking at the girl. She then turned and descended down the stairs until she was at the bottom and looking around. She pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head and looked around for a smoke detector. Luckily, none. Rockets were prroooobably drug dealers who wanted space to smoke whatever wherever they wanted.

Valerie lit up a cigarette and released Ambrose, her very bruised Furret. The pokemon looked up at her with empty eyes and she puffed her cigarette, looking around. "Bring me something interesting." She commanded and the Furret took off while she began to scan the place with her eyes, barely even acknowledging Fernando.

[zubatman]

Valerie’s response would cause him to raise an eyebrow but he didn’t question it. There was no point in wasting time trying to probe and understand the thought process of a crazy person. That’s what she was—some crazed woman who had some odd desire to force him to bend to her will. It was a damn good thing that Silph’s never bend. Compromise, maybe, but never bend.

Being a boss, the leader of the biggest corporation in Kanto, meant that Fernando’s listening skills were more than a little lacking. Much like Valerie, he would disregard her words, yet still follow them unintentionally. He could care less for the patrons of the game corner or its owners. They were irrelevant.

Patiently, Fernando trailed after Valerie, unquestioning and reserving his thought to the innermost confines of his mind. Only when they were out of sight, did he let his Gengar loose. An intangible ghost would be the most mobile, allowing the pokemon to cover more ground as it dissipated behind solid walls.

“Find me a computer and I’ll handle the rest.”

Dawdling around an abandoned base was the last thing Fernando wanted. The faster they finished their task the better. Once he found a terminal, milking the place dry would be child’s play.

[/justify]

[valerie]

"So what are you looking for, exactly?" She asked, coming back over to stand next to him, looking around curiously and seeing some places knocked over in a hurry to get out and some places still intact. There wasn't much on the surface of the hideout, but knowing Team Rocket there would be secret switches, trap doors, and key cards all over the place. It would be like Silph Co all over again. She mentally facepalmed at the thought of having to go through the entire hideout only to find one secret pokeball or something. Which was a good thing she'd sent her Furret and he sent his Gengar, even if he thought she hadn't been looking.

She wasn't sure how to act around him. There were times when she wanted to strangle him and there were times she wanted to tie him down and make him pass out from pleasure. Mostly the former, though. He drove her crazy, and almost not in a good way. Almost. She spent most of her time figuring out how to piss him off and the other half how to screw his brains out. But it didn't really matter either way because he was in it for one thing: information. The only good she was was providing him with police information and the more she thought about it, the less comfortable she became. She cleared her throat.

[zubatman]

For a moment, Fernando debates whether or not he should answer her and he should do so honestly. She’s still a ranger, after all. A verbal agreement means very little to him, especially with his paranoia of betrayal. “Anything,” he snorts, “and everything.”

A silence over takes them for a bit as Valerie comes closer. Fernando isn’t sure what to say, so he leaves her in silence. Instead, he opts for searching himself, even if he can’t discern anything valuable his sight alone. All he needed was some kind of usb port, something he could use to allow him to access his greatest weapon. One doesn’t rule over the corporate world without a few tricks up their sleeve.

A coarse sounds comes from Valerie and he takes the bait, turning around to look at her.

“Yes?”

[/justify]

[valerie]

She wasn't prepared for him to take the bait. Her mind flooded with questions, some too disgusting to ask and some too pathetic to even give a second thought to. What do I have to do? You'll never love me, will you? When are you going to crush your wife and mistress and come to me? Anger suddenly boiled up in her head, boiling hot frustration with herself, absolute disdain and abject humiliation washed over her, drowning her in a sea of hate. She turned away from him with a huff and she growled low under her breath. "Nevermind." She hissed and stomped off in the opposite direction.

Her nails dug into her arms, leaving half-moons in her mocha-colored skin, enough to continue infuriating herself and egg her into hissing dark insults to her own person as she scoured through the facility, no longer aware of Silph, but instead focused on her own inability to do anything and frantically searching for something, anything, to prove her worth as a person.

[zubatman]

What’s the point in baiting if you’re not willing to catch your prize? Fernando makes nothing out of it and simple lets it be. It’s best not to delve into subjects that don’t concern him. His wants come first, after all. Everything else is irrelevant.

“Ok.”

Women were far from his forte, but even he knew when to leave one to sulk by herself. Hopefully her little venture will prove eventful. Maybe she’ll find something interesting. He doesn’t keep his hopes up, but fortunately, she would find something that resembles a control panel. Various dusty screens cracked, and otherwise broken, would make it seem like some sort of PC. A security station? Who knew?

[/justify]

[valerie]

Biting her tongue, Valerie continued to search. Ambrose darted in and out of her vision a few times as she stomped around, her boots much heavier with her emotions weighing her down so much today. She passed a room where the door was locked on her first try of jiggling the handle. She stared at the door for a moment and then narrowed her eyes. Locks usually meant treasures. She put her ear against the door and could hear a very faint whirring from inside.

She took two steps back and took a deep breath. Then, she lifted her foot and kicked at the door with a resounding THUD. When it didn't budge, she growled deeply. She kicked her foot at the door again. When it didn't give, she threw her entire body weight at it, only for it to creak slightly but not open. She gave frustrated grunt and pulled her gun from it's holster and fire two shots at the doorknob. It weakened significantly and she kicked the door in, harder this time. It finally swung open and she eased in, aiming her gun around the room to make sure there weren't any occupants. When she saw the control panel sitting there, clinging onto life, she holstered her gun. She poked her head out of the doorway and looked around for Silph until she saw him. "Got something for you."

[zubatman]

Silence pervades the air and Fernando doesn’t need to be told that Valerie has found something. The thud is heard by all four basement dwellers and Fernando is quick to follow it. Another bang follows and Fernando is weary. The sound of gunshots are rare and rightfully so. Very few things in the world can stop a bullet from robbing a premature life. His cautious is cut short when he sees her head. He doubts she’s trigger happy enough to have actually killed someone. Guns are tools too, he reminds himself.

“Good job,” he commends, too transfixed on the piece of machine to say anything else.

A delicate hand runs over the machine’s surface, trying to get a feel for it. His touch leaves him none the wiser and a small USB is pulled from his pocket. Without a second thought, he plugs it in, lighting the small device up as the screen turns on. There’s no need to touch it now, the machine is in good, capable hands. Porygon-Z makes short work of any security measures, making the screen blur as images cycle through.

It stops, eventually, and a process of genomes is shown. Fernando can’t understand it but he knows what it is. His face remains stoic, allowing Valerie to know that he wants it might prove unfavorable. Instead, he tries to play aloof, to lie in her face.

“Any idea on what this is?”

[/justify]