"Here it is." said Christian, setting down a transparent cylinder with a sort of organism floating in the middle, in the midst of greenish-yellow liquid.
"This is the 'thing'?" asked Erika, looking on in wonder at the strange life form.
"Yeah. I'd managed to pull this from the laboratory without alerting them." He frowned. "Well, except for this one guy, but I dunked him on the head. Team Rocket needs guards that aren't complete slobs. Anyway, I believe the 'thing' was extremely important to them, though it is still primitive and undeveloped. But if we put our sources into maturing this life form," the umbreon paused, "there's no telling what it could-and would- do to strengthen out ranks." Christian gestured at the organism. "Look, you can already see the stumps that might one day be paws and hind legs, and it seems to be emitting some kind of faint pink glow. You can even notice it through the liquid it's floating in."
"A very interesting specimen indeed." murmured Cordelia. "And how do you propose we mature it?"
"We go back to that Team Rocket hideout. They would have retreated back to the main base by now, no doubt, so it'll be clear. I know the place was burned badly, but any machine with enough juice would make it through the blast. We locate the laboratory. At this point, Cordelia uses her psychic powers to figure the blueprints for that machine."
"What, you want us to make another one?" said Logan disbelievingly. "That'll take us months to build…heck, maybe even years. Plus, anything that powerful can't be small enough to fit into this camper van. And it'll produce loads of dust. I'm the one that does all the cleaning here, you know?"
"I'm not done yet." said Christian impatiently. "Before I was so rudely interrupted, what I was about to say was Cordelia should copy out the blueprints and pass them on to me. I will then do some studies on it, and work out another blueprint for a smaller machine which still has the juice to do the job and not produce any dust whatsoever." He concluded, turning triumphantly to Logan on the last part. "After all, I'm not the group's technology expert for nothing." Christian smirked.
"Well thought out, Christian." approved the kirlia. Christian planted a scowl on his face.
"I don't need any compliments from the likes of you. Remember, we're all here solely for personal benefits."
Cordelia nodded. "Silly me, how could I forget." she said rather flatly.
"A change of course again then, my lady?" muttered Logan.
"Fraid' so."
Upon arriving at the sorry sight of what used to be the Team Rocket hideout, the team, on a whole, felt mighty pleased with their work and the visual of the charred building. "Now that's one banged up building!" said Christian admiringly.
"Shush," whispered the kirlia. "We don't know if there are any more grunts here, so be quiet and focus on the mission. Christian bristled a bit at the scolding, but kept silent.
They passed through countless blackened passages, not a single sign of intelligent life to be seen. After scouting out all the rooms to make sure none of the enemy were still present, they finally arrived at what used to be the laboratory. "Which machine was it, Christian?" asked Erika.
The little umbreon bounded through lines of charred equipment, stopping at a very prominent, massive machine with pincer-like things in the centre of the room. Erika shook her head.
"Of course. It's always the big, scary machine in the middle, isn't it? That's so cliché. Couldn't Team Rocket be more original?"
"Cordelia," said Christian, deciding to ignore the dragonair, "please come here to scan out its blueprints."
"Don't you need paper to copy it out?" inquired Logan.
"Teleportation."
"Ah."
A sheet of paper and a pencil materialised in Cordelia's hands, and she focused her mind on the interior of the machine. While her eyes glowed a dark, eerie purple, her pencil flew over the paper, and the umbreon studies the blueprints as it slowly came into being.
"Ooh, very interesting." murmured Erika, peeling over his shoulder.
"Quiet. You don't know what you're talking about." chided Christian.
Soon, the blueprints were complete. Christian took it, spreading it out on the ground with his little black paws. "Hmm, it is pretty interesting…but complicated. One of the most complex designs I've seen compared to those when I worked for an engineer"- he shook his head, as if shaking off the memory -"but I should be able to figure it out in about…three weeks' time."
"Three weeks?" said Cordelia incredulously. "Will the 'thing' even last that long without any technological help?"
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. It's tough. It'll survive."
The kirlia stood motionless for a while, and then nodded her head. "Very well." Now we shall go back to base. Christian, when we're there you are to begin the new blueprint immediately."
"You don't need to order me around, you're not my mom. Neither are you my mistress." The dark type muttered.
Upon returning to the camper van, they all went about their work. Christian immediately booted the computer for some research, Cordelia drew out a strategy for their Aqua break in, and Logan…well, he did what he did best: housework. Erika, being the ignorant prick she was, got out the gaming console and did absolutely no work. Cordelia looked up from her drafts.
"Erika," she called sharply, "perhaps you've been blind to the fact that some of us are actually working hard"-
"Yeah, hang on a sec. Lemme finish this race first."
The psychic frowned, and her eyes drifted to the power cord. Getting up from her work desk, she crossed the room and pulled out the plug. "Enough." She said, eyes sparkling dangerously. When her back was turned, Erika stuck her tongue out at the kirlia's departing form.
Cordelia entered the little kitchen. Logan was using his dark powers for manipulating a knife to chop up carrots for some soup, and looked up upon her arrival. "Anything the matter?" he asked.
"Yes, I'd like to tell you something. Christian, myself, and the blue slacker by the gaming console"- here she assumed a sarcastic tone- "will be very busy with various assignments, thus giving us insufficient spare time to monitor the 'thing's progress. Therefore, I would like to leave it in your care."
The mismagius went quiet. Christian slipped in for a bowlful of milk, observing the conversation as he tried to bite through the milk carton.
"I see that I am to be the babysitter," muttered Logan. "However, if that is what you wish, fine. In return, you could perhaps appreciate my cooking just a little?"
Cordelia peeked behind him to the simmering pot of blood red liquid, with fish heads bobbing in the foul mixture, and her stomach turned. "Um, yeah, it's really tasty…" she muttered, backing out of the room. Behind the ghost, a certain umbreon was pretending to stagger around, gagging like he was about to choke and making retching noises at the soup. As the mismagius turned around to discover the source of the noise behind him, Cordelia fled from the room. "Bleurgh." She shuddered, recalling the disgusting liquid. Then she groaned. Damn.
She was going to have to eat that for lunch.