Chapter 7
Operation Eurydice
. . . . . . . . . .
Delta Five Mission Log: Entry no. 23
Operation: Eurydice
Mission objective: Recover/evacuate civilian, retrieve key.
Operation Eurydice is a fucking travesty. Or, rather, the way it was [REDACTED-1] is. It's unbelievable that a simple search and rescue mission could take three goddamn years. If word about this ever leaks out to the top, or worse, the general public, [REDACTED-2] is going to end up as a laughing stock for years.
It isn't standard procedure, but I'm going to summarize the events that led up to this. While the [REDACTED-3] and [REDACTED-4] are going to be recorded and stored in the D.I.'s archives like every other mission, quite frankly, Operation Eurydice needs some proper explanation or else its mission objective makes no fucking sense.
We received an SOS call from Winteroot town by ex-Operative [REDACTED-5] at 19:43, two minutes after the Empire began aggressions along the Federation's north-eastern border; an incident now known as the Frontier Massacre. [REDACTED-5] notified us that he was working on some sort of ground-breaking research, and that it was critically important it stayed out of Imperial hands.
Had we known in advance, [REDACTED-2] would have evacuated him and his family to a safer location. But the inept son of a bitch who was relaying info up at the Capitol spent so damn long that we didn't get word of the Empire's declaration of war until [REDACTED-6] minutes after they began the attack.
There was no way we could have coordinated his evacuation with such little warning, so he instead said that he would be sending [REDACTED-7], his daughter, over to HQ, along with a key that would be needed to access the research data on his computer.
Except none of that happened. The D.I. traced the [REDACTED-8] the moment it launched from Winteroot, but instead of heading [REDACTED-9] towards H.Q., it moved north into Imperial territory, at which point we lost contact with the [REDACTED-8].
Things got worse when Command sent me into Winteroot town, now Imperial controlled territory, on a solo mission to retrieve the computer in question. Damn thing was so big that it was pretty much embedded in the rubble, and without that key, I couldn't even get it to turn on. Even if I could get it out, there was no way that I could sneak that thing back into the Federation. Mission was called off when it was discovered that the Empire was both unable to access the computer as well as unaware that the computer contained such important information.
Three years later, we're finally making some actual progress. We've finally managed to get our hands on Imperial airspace data records, and we've located the approximate whereabouts of the [REDACTED-8]. I'd blame the D.I. for doing a shit job, but given how Empire tech is so much more advanced than what we have at the Federation, it's easy to see why it took so long. The fact that Command has lost a lot of good personnel due to the war over the past three years doesn't help either.
We've traced the [REDACTED-8] to a region in District 12, a supposedly uninhabited region to the north of Mt. Coronet, and, if what [REDACTED-10] found really is the crashed [REDACTED-8], then we're getting really close to finding [REDACTED-7] once and for all.
It's time that we bring this God forsaken operation to an end.
. . . . . . . . . .
16:36, June 2, Unified Year 4734 - Empire of the New Order (Formerly known as the Sinnohnian Empire), District Twelve, North face of Mt. Coronet
. . . . .
The rolling winds whisked over the hills of snow just like it had always done time after time, the silence of the landscape broken only by the sharp whistle of the gale-like breeze blowing through the frozen wasteland. The clouds, having eased their temper, finally decided to grace the frosty lands with the rare gift of sunshine and open skies, much to the pleasure of all its inhabitants, who had grown accustomed to weathering the almost persistent storm.
To the untrained eye, today would have appeared to be an unexceptional day like any other. But a shift in the winds hailed the arrival of two unfamiliar souls; newcomers to this icy landscape. Standing atop of a hill, a Decidueye, using his three outermost finger-like feathers, calmly typed away on a handheld electronic notepad with startling dexterity, as if he had done so a thousand times before. He was accompanied by a Braixen, sitting down on the snow with her chin resting on her hands as she looked down the hill towards a metallic object, half encased in ice, embedded in the snow below.
It wasn't unusual for the frozen lands to receive new residents every so often, though most would perish before the week was done. That said, never before had it seen Pokémon who weren't terrified to be here. As newcomers go, these two were suspiciously calm, unfazed by the dangers presented by the frosty wilderness that stretched out before them.
The Decidueye, having spent several minutes typing away silently on his notepad, finally looked up from his device, staring down towards the metallic object.
"You sure that it's the crashed pod you saw out there, Tori?"
Victoria, the Braixen, nodded in reply, her voice casual and a touch sassy. "Jeez, Hackett. It's Arthur Schwarz's Mk.1 Prototype escape pod. I'm, like, a hundred and ten percent sure of it."
Hackett, having taken another glance at the metallic object, glanced over towards her with a somewhat suspicious look before returning his gaze back down towards his notepad, continuing to type away on it like he had just a moment ago.
"I'm still putting you down as the one who found it into the mission log, just in case you turn out to be wrong."
"Huh? What about the whole 'sharing responsibilities as a team' thing?"
"This doesn't count."
Giving her a quick and harsh answer, Hackett made no effort to hide his lack of concern for his partner's emotions; a trait that stemmed from his cool and cold attitude for which he was infamous for among those who knew him. Of course, having known him for years, Victoria was well aware of this. But, nevertheless, she gave him an agitated pout, folding her arms out in front of her with the slightest of annoyance.
"What? Jeez, fine… But you owe me dinner if I'm right! And I ain't talking about that slop they serve at the mess hall."
The Decidueye let out a chuckle in reply, more because he found her statement to be ludicrous than it to be actually funny or endearing. "But you always use my credits to buy snacks."
"That doesn't count!"
Ignoring the irritated protests from his partner, Hackett folded his device and began walking down the slope. In response, Victoria got back onto her feet and ran up next to him, taking his notepad and putting it in the messenger bag that she had slung around her shoulder.
"I still think it's, like, really weird that you're so uptight about that stuff, Hackett."
Hackett glanced down towards Victoria, who had started talking again. "Eh?"
"I mean… I dunno, you just don't really seem like the type to really care about it so much, you know?"
He shook his head with a sigh in response. "Mission logs are vital for keeping records. You should know that better than anyone else, Tori."
Given the nature of their organization, it should come as no surprise to either of them that the act of record keeping was absolutely of utmost importance. Though, perhaps it would be forgiven for her to think that her partner wouldn't be as fastidious with this task as she had originally thought. After all, regardless of the organization, employees all had their own individual traits and Victoria knew quite well that it didn't suit the Decidueye's personality to be so keen with regards to matters like these.
More pressing on the Braixen's mind was the metallic object that they were quickly approaching. Though unclear from a distance, it was now plain to see that the object was indeed a crashed escape pod, just as she had predicted. Victoria, realizing that her predictions had been right, jabbed her elbow into Hackett's side, a smug grin on her cheeks.
"Heh, heh… Told ya."
The Decidueye sighed in an indifferent show of defeat before flapping his wings as he swooped down towards the craft. Landing atop of it, he began to impatiently scrape away the layers of snow and ice that had accumulated on top of it with his talon-like feet, hurriedly trying to gain visual access to its interior. Victoria, equally eager to find the craft's contents but not having the gift of flight, hurriedly ran after him, leaving behind a trail of deep footprints in the powdery snow.
"So… she in there?"
Hackett shook his head in response, a thinly veiled irritation in his voice. "Empty. Looks like it's been empty for a while now."
Despite the closed hatch, the pod's interior was coated with a thick dusting of snow. Regardless of what had happened, it was painfully obvious that it had been abandoned months, if not years ago.
"What about the key thing?"
Hackett, tearing open the hatch, jumped in and began to clear away the snow. Given that only half his body fit inside, it was clear to see that the craft was designed to accommodate Pokémon that were far smaller than him in size. That said, the small size of the pod did mean that it didn't take long at all for him to finish his search. Almost as soon as he had begun his search had he finished it, only to find that there was nothing of value left inside.
"…Not here either. Must have taken it with her on her way out."
"So now what? Contact our Operator?"
"Yeah. See if the guys at command know something we don't."
"Urgh… You talk to them. I don't wanna deal with those assholes."
Nodding in reply, Hackett brought a feather up towards his ear, activating the earpiece that was hidden inside. "Alpha Team to Operator."
The earpiece crackled as a feminine voice replied, her tone calm and elegant, holding an air of maturity that belied the true age of its owner. "Operator here. How can I help you, Hackett?"
Victoria, who had been idling about next to the wrecked craft, perked up with surprised enthusiasm, having recognised the voice almost immediately. Bringing her finger to her ear, she quickly chimed in on the conversation.
"Maya? You're our Operator?"
"Hi Tori~! Are you having fun out there?"
"He-he-he, hey girl~! You know what it's like, being with that grumpy old bird."
Hackett shot her an irritated glare. "Oi."
Victoria flashed an equally annoyed look back towards him, hissing at him with a hushed voice. "What the hell, Hackett? Why didn't you tell me that she was our operator for this mission?"
Hackett rolled his eyes, shooing her away with a flap of his wing as he returned his attention back towards the Pokémon on the other end of his earpiece. "Maya, we've found the pod but it's empty. Any leads as to where she could be?"
"Oh, that's a shame. Sit tight, I'll see if the D.I. can find something."
The two waited silently as they heard the sound of papers being shuffled hastily, followed by the impatient murmurs of several staff members at the command centre. Though every team was usually overseen by a single Operator, the imminent end to this three-year long operation appeared to have drawn the attention and interest of a significant portion of Command.
"Hmm… Intel says they have nothing, but I have a good feeling she'll be in that area."
"And the reason for that is…?"
Hackett's earpiece rang with the sound of a gentle and refined giggle. "Let's just call it an Espeon's intuition~."
Hackett sighed, realizing that his Operator wouldn't be able to see the frustrated frown that was forming on his face. "That doesn't sound too reliable."
Victoria, finally having had enough of his attitude, kicked the Decidueye in the leg, more so out of frustration than to actually hurt him. Nevertheless, the unexpected attack made Hackett wince, which came as no surprise to the both of them given just how powerful she really was.
"God! You're being such an ass! Have you never had her as your Operator before? Have some trust in her, won't you?"
Her tone immediately changed as she spoke to her comms device, her switch in attitude so dramatic that it almost seemed comical. "Don't worry, girl! We'll take a look around!"
Maya didn't appear to mind. She was far too familiar with the both of them to find their antics in any way distracting or concerning. "He-he, thanks Tori~! Hackett, I'd suggest looking around the pod, see if you can find any clues to her whereabouts. Oh, and be careful out there. The Empire claims it to be uninhabited, but the D.I. says District 12 is a lawless penal colony. I suggest exercising caution around anyone you meet there."
"Roger that, Alpha team out."
Terminating their connection, Hackett turned back around towards the crashed escape pod, looking at the craft with disdain. "Let's do this quick, I'd rather find her sooner than later."
Victoria nodded, running around towards the other side of the craft, immediately busying herself with… Something. Hackett paid her no attention as he began his own investigation, though it didn't take long for him to realise that, no matter how much he looked, he couldn't find anything of value. The insides were devoid of anything whatsoever, nothing that could point him to even some vague direction to start his search. The exterior proved to hold no value either, their search objective having left nothing behind to guide her rescuers towards her location.
'Seriously, she could have at least scrawled down a note or something... How the hell does she expect us to find her?'
The snow proved to be entirely uncooperative as well, though given the amount of time that had evidently passed since the pod was abandoned, it made sense that any footprints she would have left behind would probably disappear as soon as the next snowstorm rolled in.
Of course, this realization did little to calm him down.
"Fucking hell, this is hopeless."
He cursed his fruitless search. There was nothing here for them to work on.
"I'm getting nothing here, Tori. You?"
"Found something!"
Hackett peeked over the craft, surprised at her unexpected discovery.
"Really?"
"Heh, nope!"
Hackett groaned. "Are you seriously pulling a joke at a time like this?"
With the intent to vent his frustrations, he rounded around the pod, opening his mouth to scold her. But upon seeing her, he stopped, staring at her with curious confusion.
Victoria was half buried inside the escape pod, her legs sticking out from a torn off side panel, rummaging through the mechanical internals of the craft. To her side was the team's electronic notepad, connected with a crude mess of tangled wires to the internals of the frozen craft.
"What… What are you doing in there?"
"Err… How do I explain this… I'm rewiring the circuitry to output a sensor record into the data tablet." She reached down to pick up the electronic data tablet, entering a few console commands before bringing her attention back towards her mechanical surgery.
"What?"
"If the external sensors didn't blow up from the crash, they might show us which way she went. I'm just working a little magic here to see if I can make that happen."
"You can do that? Huh… Not bad."
Victoria pulled herself out from the pod's innards, looking up at the Decidueye with a smug grin adorning her face. "Ooooh, was that a compliment, Hackett?"
"Get back to work."
"Fine, fine."
He leaned against the side of the metal craft, putting his wing on top of it as he pushed the grinning Braixen's question aside, waiting for her to finish off with her work.
Despite the numerous times that they had worked together, it was only during moments like these that Hackett was reminded just how intelligent she could really be. Of course, if he thought about it for a second, this really should have come as no surprise. Victoria was one of just a small handful of Operatives that were classified as Cerberus agents; a specialized and select group of dual-purpose Operatives. And even amongst them, few had managed to obtain the ranks that she had. By all means, she was an incredible, perhaps even exemplary agent.
'No way I'm letting her know about that though… I'll never hear the end of her bragging if I do.'
Of course, there were a tiny number of Cerberus agents that had managed to surpass even Victoria's abilities. The most notable and illustrious of those… Well, he was dead. But that was exactly why they were out here in the Empire's eternally frozen north. If it weren't for his untimely demise, there would have been no need to go on this three-year search for his daughter.
His train of thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the Braixen's muttering, her voice muffled as it echoed from inside the craft.
"No wonder it took so long to find… This thing doesn't have a tracking beacon."
"Don't the pods at headquarters have one installed?"
"Yeah, but this is old. Like, super old. I mean, it's the first escape pod ever built, after all. Arthur probably didn't consider all that sorta stuff on his first try."
Victoria pulled herself out of the craft, dusting off her white and yellow fur as she emerged out. "Anyways~, I couldn't get anything. Looks like all the sensors burnt out before the thing even crashed… Thing was flying blind all the way here."
"At least she's smart enough to leave this thing… God damn thing's so cold that my feathers are sticking onto it."
Pulling herself up from the snow, Victoria peered over towards Hackett's wing, which had managed to glue itself to the pod's fuselage due to the sheer cold. Realizing the predicament that her partner had gotten himself into, Victoria couldn't help but let loose a smug grin.
"Oh, ho, ho, ho! Do you need the help of the great and powerful Victoria to free you from thy icy shackles?"
"Sure, whatever."
Victoria pouted, folding her arms out in front of her before turning away from him, unsatisfied by his response. "Hmph. Fine, have it your way."
Hackett sighed. While he found her overly dramatic behaviour to be an irritating nuisance, he had to admit that, without her aid, he wouldn't be able to get his wing free without pulling at least half of his feathers off. More importantly, the fact that this was a team mission had not left his mind. Hackett was well aware of the importance in maintaining relations with other team members; something that was particularly important today, as spending any length of time in this frozen landscape would wear down even the most resilient of Pokémon. With a resigned groan, Hackett played along with her antics, thinking it best for his own situation.
"…Yes, o' great Victoria. I need your help."
His words appeared to have done the trick, seeing that Victoria had turned back around, a prideful smile on her cheeks.
'...You're so easy sometimes.'
Tori crouched down next to him, pulling out her stick and lighting it on fire before placing the open flame next to the metallic hull. The two of them sat quietly, watching the flickering flame as it slowly heated up the sides of the craft.
"You know, I'm kinda curious…"
Hackett gave the Braixen a quick glance as she broke the silence again. "…What is it now?"
"Do you think flame-roasted Decidueye tastes good?"
Hackett sighed. "Are all personnel in the research department this insane, or is it just you?"
"Wow, rude! And besides, I'm an Omen class Operative as well, you know!"
"Yeah, but I was nowhere near as stupid as you were when I was an Omen class."
"Oh, shut up you overgrown bird!"
Their conversation came to an abrupt end as Hackett pulled his wing off from the hull of the craft, the craft's metal skin having heated up enough for it to let go of its icy grasp. He slowly unfurled his feathers, inspecting them for damage, before giving Victoria a nod.
"Thanks, Tori."
"Yeah, whatever."
Victoria tried to hold her pout, but instead ended up cracking a smile, finding herself unable to hold a grudge against him for any length of time. "You're such an asshole… But I guess you've always been like that, haven't you?"
"Have I?"
"Yup."
Hackett glanced back at the pod, picking up the data tablet from the snow and unplugging the wires that were attached to it. "We're getting off topic. We don't have much time before daylight ends."
Victoria nodded in agreement. "So, what now?"
"Well, we aren't going to find any clues here. Let's keep moving."
"Which-a-way, captain?"
Hackett glanced down at the data tablet, checking its built-in global positioning system before handing it over to his partner. "We came in from the north, so I'd say we keep heading south."
"Uphill?" Victoria groaned, her shoulders slumping in open indignation as she began to make the slow trek up the snowy mountainside, following behind Hackett's own footsteps. "Urgh… This is way too tiring…"
"At least you're doing better than me. Goddamn hate the cold… Wait, hold on."
Stopping close behind him, Victoria glanced over towards the distance, trying to make out what had caught her partner's eye so soon after leaving the wrecked pod behind. To her surprise, she saw a lone Abomasnow slowly wandering around the empty landscape, his eyes glued to the ground as if searching for something he had dropped earlier.
"Wow… I guess the D.I. was right. There really are Pokémon living up here."
Though, perhaps living was a bit of a stretch. As Abomasnow go, she had never seen one that looked as scrawny and malnourished as he did. So much so that his startling thinness appeared to be deliberately mismatched to his towering height. Victoria couldn't help but feel a slight pang of sympathy for him, but nevertheless decided that it would be best to give him a wide berth given what Maya had told her just a moment ago.
Unfortunately for her, Hackett seemed to have other ideas.
"Hey! Hey you! Abomasnow!"
The Abomasnow quickly glanced towards them, easily picking up the Decidueye's loud voice, before shuffling away in a hurry, as if pretending to have not heard him. Victoria, shocked, looked up at her partner with disbelief.
"Hackett, what are you doing?! Maya told us-"
"Screw that. It's going to take all day with just the two of us."
Victoria brought her hand to her head and let out a loud, exasperated sigh. "Ugg! Look, if you're really going to talk to him, then stick to our-"
"What, that we've lived here for years and we're meeting him for the first time? Yeah, yeah, I got it."
Giving her no time to respond, Hackett flapped his wings, swooping over towards the retreating Abomasnow in a blink of an eye. Grabbing him by the shoulder, Hackett stopped his escape, forcing him to turn and face him.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!"
"L-Leave me alone, y'hear?!"
Screaming out in an almost hysterical panic, the Abomasnow hastily launched an Ice Shard towards him. Hackett, making no effort to dodge the attack, simply grabbed the spear of ice in mid-air; a rather incredible feat given that it was launched at him from what was essentially point-blank range, before crushing it effortlessly in his hands.
"Look, I've had a long day. I'd suggest you start cooperating before you really piss me off."
The Abomasnow shook his head frantically. "I don't know nothin', I swear on m' life!"
"Will you just stop and listen for a goddamn second?!"
Seeing Hackett grab the Abomasnow by both his shoulders and scream at him, Victoria intervened, pushing the temperamental Decidueye away. "Cut that out, Hackett! You're scaring the poor thing!" She balled her hands up into fists, stomping the ground out of frustration. "God! Stop getting your feathers all up in a twist! You're such a pain in the ass!"
Though Hackett gave only a disgruntled grunt in reply, Victoria satisfied herself in the fact that she had managed to get him to quiet down. Turning back towards the Abomasnow, she gave him the most courteous smile that she could muster.
"Sir-"
"Ivan. M'name's Ivan."
"Mr. Ivan! Hi. So sorry to bother you like this."
Though there was no denying that Victoria had found Hackett's attitude to be particularly unbearable today, she had to admit that, now that she thought about it, he had set up the perfect situation for her to begin interrogating him. The 'good-cop-bad-cop' tactic was one of the oldest examples in the textbook, but its effectiveness ensured that it was nonetheless a staple when it came to information extraction tactics. Of course, she wasn't entirely sure if he had meant to do so in the first place. But given how well the Abomasnow seemed to be receiving her, she wasn't about to let such an opportunity slip by.
"We're looking for someone by the name of Kiteki. Have you happened to see an Eevee around h-"
"Kiteki?! Woah, woah, woah! Only folks that got beef with 'er want to go lookin' for her."
"Sir, that's not why we're looking for her… Wait, you know her?"
'Well… I definitely wasn't expecting that.'
A quick glance showed that even Hackett had taken an interest in Ivan's response. It may have been reckless, but if this Abomasnow really was as familiar with their target as he suggested to be, then even Victoria had to admit that striking up a conversation with this resident may have been a risk worth taking after all.
"Damn right I do! Everyone up 'ere knows who she is! I tells ye, ye best not try n' pick a fight with her. She's the strongest 'un around. Hell, she even beat me!"
Hackett joined the conversation, Ivan's last words having picked up his full attention.
"You… Fought her…?"
The Abomasnow nodded, his body beginning to tremble as he recalled his memories. "I used t' be king of this darn hill when she first got 'ere. Thought she was nothin' but a scrawny kid when I first saw 'er. Got 'n so many fights with 'er that I lost count… Never won a damn one, I did."
"Not even one?"
"Hah, I wish! But that 'ems all old news now. Stopped pickin' fights with 'er once I saw them errors of my ways."
The Decidueye flashed an incredulous and confused glance towards the Braixen, who flashed the same look back at him. Despite Ivan's assistance, his recollections only seemed to create more questions than it did answers. 'How the hell was this guy the strongest one here? And, for that matter, how did an Eevee manage to beat an Abomasnow?' No matter how much they thought about it, so little of what Ivan was saying seemed to be possible, let alone true.
"Whatever problems ye got with 'er, ye don't want to hit 'er up on it. She's a good kid but that don't mean she ain't merciless either. Poke her enough and she'll flay ye alive, she will!"
And yet, just one look at the Abomasnow's face made it all too plain to see that he was telling the truth. Though it may seem at first that his words lacked honesty, there was no denying that the look of anxious terror he was wearing was genuine.
Victoria gulped. She hadn't thought about it much, but if their target had managed to survive this long in a place like this, then it had to mean that their target would be, or at the very least have turned into, a rather threatening and powerful Pokémon.
Of course, that didn't change the fact that she was still their mission objective.
"Thank you for the warning, Mr. Ivan, but we really need to find her. Can you please tell us where she is?"
"Yer funeral, missy." He pointed towards a ridge, gesturing to suggest that it was beyond the horizon. "She's thataway."
The two turned towards where the Abomasnow was pointing towards.
Hackett, pulling out the data tablet from Victoria's messenger bag, quickly began to analyse the digital map that he had brought up onto the screen, hurriedly trying to localize the direction that the Abomasnow had pointed towards. Tori, eagerly curious to find out herself, peered up at the tablet, watching carefully as he planned out a new course for them to head towards.
"Looks like we're finally getting somewhere."
"Wait, Hackett, you know where she is?"
"No, but this is our biggest lead so far."
"So then which way?"
"Like he said. 'Thataway'. If he's right, then we're bound to run into her sooner or later if we stick to this route."
Satisfied with their newfound information, Victoria turned back around, intending to thank the Abomasnow for his aid, but froze upon realizing that he had already vanished from sight. His sudden disappearance made her shudder as an eerie chill ran up her spine.
"He was… Err… Surprisingly nice? I thought they were all supposed to be criminals?"
Hackett shrugged. "At least we know now that she's not dead. Pretty tough for an Eevee to live out here for three years."
"So then, the key…?"
"It's probably with her."
"But, I mean, is it even the same Kiteki? Arthur's description said that she was sick and frail like all the time! I can't imagine a sick Eevee beating an Abomasnow in a fight… That's gotta be, like, impossible, right?"
Hackett had to admit that it did seem preposterous. Despite his years of experience with combat, he had never heard of someone as weak as an Eevee managing to defeat anything like an Abomasnow. Regardless of abilities, skills or techniques, the sheer power difference between the two made it practically a given certainty that the resulting fight would be overwhelmingly one sided. 'And yet, she beat him multiple times? Give me a fucking break.'
But the likelihood of it being a case of mistaken identity didn't seem plausible either. The Abomasnow was awfully confident with his recollection, and with a name like hers, it didn't seem likely that he would have gotten her name wrong, or even mixed up.
"How many Eevee named Kiteki do you know?"
Victoria shrugged in response. "I mean, I guess it's a pretty uncommon name."
"So are Eevee. Like it or not, she's definitely the one."
The two were interrupted by the sound of their earpieces buzzing back to life, their attention quickly drawn towards the somewhat urgent tone in Maya's voice. "Operator to Alpha Team."
"Alpha team, roger. What is it, Maya?"
"I hate to say this, Hackett, but there's a snowstorm heading your way. Command requests that the both of you return to shelter."
'Fuck! Now of all time?' Despite his best efforts, Hackett couldn't hide his boiling rage as he yelled into his earpiece receiver.
"Shelter? Out here? You fuckin' kidding me?!"
"Hey! Don't talk to my Maya like that!"
Hackett drew in a deep breath before letting out a heavy sigh. After all, this wasn't Maya or anyone's fault in particular. As orders go, this was about as reasonable as they get. Were it any other time, he would have found the order to be a blessing. But right now, given how close they were to finishing their mission objective, the order felt more like a curse than anything else.
"…You're right. Sorry Maya."
"That's quite alright, Hackett."
"Can we get an E.T.A on the snowstorm?"
"Let's see… I'd say you're looking at two hours more-or-less before it starts getting bad."
"Alright. We'll try and see if we can do something about it."
"Thank you, Hackett. Please give me a status update when able. Operator out."
Hearing the familiar click of a terminated connection, the two looked about the frozen expanse, trying to figure out their next move.
"Hey Tori."
"Yeah?"
"Did you see anything that we could use to weather the storm on our way here?"
"Seriously? No! You?"
"No." Hackett groaned out of frustration. Nothing that he had seen on his way up here could provide any sort of shelter for the both of them. The wrecked pod was useless, and not just for him because he couldn't fit; given by its condition, it wasn't going to be much help to his partner either. To make matters worse, he could already see the sun beginning to set in the western horizon. Their mission briefing had warned them about it prior to sortieing, but the both of them knew full well that the night would bring with it a merciless drop in temperature. And now, with a snowstorm approaching and nowhere to hide, it was only a matter of time before they were hit with the full force of their lethal combination. "We're fucked."
Victoria, putting her hands on her hips, let out a defiant laugh, trying her best to lift their spirits. "Oh, ho, ho! Fear not, dearest Hackett! I'll keep you all warm and toasty through the storm! And with my firepower and your speed, we'll be able to make a dugout in no tim-"
"Don't fool yourself, Tori. There's a reason the Empire didn't industrialize this place, and it's not for a lack of trying." He handed back the data tablet to the Braixen, who promptly put them back in her bag. "Our best bet is to find that Eevee before the storm gets to us."
"...Okay."
Hackett shuddered, feeling an ominous, cold breeze through his feathers. The storm hadn't arrived quite yet, but he could feel its deathly presence creeping up on him.
"Let's keep moving, we don't have much time."
. . . . . . . . . .
20:47, June 2, Unified Year 4734 - District Twelve, North face of Mt. Coronet
. . . . .
"Goddamn command, sending a grass type into a snowstorm."
Hackett found himself cursing under his breath as he slowly trudged through the snow, using his wings to shield himself from the harrowing gale. It had been a good four hours since they had left the wrecked escape pod behind, and though they had left the site with relatively high spirits, their enthusiasm had long since abandoned them. It had become imperative now that the both of them find something, anything at all to duck into in order to weather out the storm, but given that the sun had set long ago, visibility was about as low as it could conceivably get. By this point, every passing moment made their current situation increasingly lethal.
Worse still was the fact that, for the past hour, Hackett had the terrible suspicion that they were being followed. Of course, this wasn't a new or even particularly novel feeling. He had been tailed several times over his numerous prior missions. And each time it had happened, he had managed to deal with them with the ruthless efficiency that he was known for.
But this time was different. Whether it was because of the poor environmental conditions or because of his deteriorating senses, he had failed to spot, let alone identify, who their stalker was. Victoria seemed to be completely unaware of their pursuer, and even Hackett himself was beginning to wonder if he was imagining it or not.
For the first time in a long time, a sense of dread crept up his spine. Their pursuer was a master of their craft, an expert of their hazardous environment. And all that Hackett could do was helplessly imagine what their motives were, like prey being hunted by a predator who intended to toy with its food.
But what grated against Hackett more than anything else was that all of this could have been avoidable. Command was well aware of the extreme environment that the Empire's District 12 was known for. Add to that the fact that Command had more than enough ice types in reserve to accommodate this operation, and it was easy to see why Hackett was so upset with his current situation.
'I mean, for fucks sake. This would be a piece of cake for an ice type.'
The apparent lack of sense in Command's choice in sending him and Victoria on this mission frustrated him so much that he almost wanted to congratulate Command on their asinine decision. As a matter of fact, Hackett wanted nothing more than to open up a bottle of his finest wine and make a toast to just how daft and incompetent Command had been.
"Oh, enough already! You don't need Maya to remind us just how short on able paws and hands we are! We're all that the Bureau can spare right now!"
The two had to practically shout at each other just so that they could hear them talk over the sound of the howling gale.
"What about the ice types in reserve?"
"Too inexperienced! Command wouldn't risk sending Hex class Operatives just to risk losing three years of progress!"
Victoria's tone softened considerably as she glanced up at him, seeing shards of ice starting to cling onto the Decidueye's feathers. "How're you holding up?"
"Eh?"
"I mean… Grass types don't do well in the cold… Right…?"
"So…?"
"I'm just wondering if… You know, you're…"
"If I'm doing okay?" Hackett stopped, letting out a sarcastic chuckle. "Heh… You're… Actually worried about me? Looks like the cold's getting to you too."
"I'm serious, Hackett." The Braixen looked up at him as he stood motionless in the open snowstorm, unable to read his expression due to him having his back towards her.
"I'll be alright." With a flick of his wing, Hackett gestured for her to bring out their data tablet. "You sure we haven't deviated from our route?"
Victoria, hastily pulling out their data tablet in what seemed like the thousandth time in the past hour, smacked it a few times to get it to turn on, the data tablet struggling to remain operational in the blistering cold. "…Yeah, we're right on it." Taking a short moment to recalibrate their map, she turned the device around to show him the readings. "You think maybe the Abomasnow wasn't giving us good info?"
Taking a quick glance at the device, Hackett turned back around and continued to make his way through the snow. With how poor visibility was, they were essentially traversing the landscape blind, with only their data tablet to guide their way. "It's too late to start thinkin' about that now, isn't it?"
"What if we just imagined him? I mean… Have you seen anything that resembles a home around here?"
It was easy to see where Victoria's train of thought was going. Despite their hours of trekking, neither of them had succeeded in finding anything that resembled a place of abode or even a cave. Nor for that matter, had they found a single soul out and about in the open like Ivan. In fact, were it not for that Abomasnow, they would have seriously questioned the D.I. on whether or not the place really was inhabited or not. His ghostly disappearance didn't help at all in clearing his perception as a mirage, and if nothing else, only served to fuel their idea that they had in actuality met nobody at all. Though her question had originally meant to be nothing more than a joke, it wasn't hard to see that there was a hint of genuineness behind her words.
"Tori… Cut the crap… It's not funny."
"Sorry…" Victoria carefully stowed away their device, not wanting it to freeze up due to extended exposure to the frigid outdoors. The two walked in relative silence for a couple of moments, their progress hampered by the poor conditions that they were faced with. But inevitably, once again, it was Victoria who would ultimately break their silence.
"Hey, Hackett?"
"What now?"
"I've been thinking…"
Hackett snorted. "Well that's new. What is it?"
"It's just so… Barbaric, don't you think?"
"What?"
"Sending them all up here, I mean."
"What're you on about?"
"I mean, look at this place. Nothing could survive up here." Victoria watched as her partner's pace slowed as he took a moment to observe his surroundings again. "Banishment up here is supposed to be a lighter sentence than capital punishment, but… Just look at this place."
Hackett slowed to a complete stop. Though he could see next to nothing through the inky darkness, he could tell what he Braixen was going on about. "…Die a slow and painful death… Or live in eternal suffering. You're right… It's fucked."
Victoria sighed, solemnly nodding her head. "I know they're criminals, but… This… This is just cruel. I mean, I wouldn't wish for this on anyone, not even you."
"Ha, ha. Very funny."
The both of them knew that something like this would never fly with the Federation. Or most other countries, for that matter. The Empire was infamous for their willingness to use cruel and unusual punishments for criminals. Even the Empire's use of banishment, of which its implementation was meant to be clandestine in nature, had been used so often that, by now, almost every other nation had some sort of knowledge about its practice. Even the D.I. estimated that, given how popular banishment was as a form of punishment within the Empire, there should be more than enough to densely populate District 12. And yet, seeing just how deserted the place was, it was clear to see that a vast majority of those sent here for a life sentence had met an untimely end. Few would be hardy enough to survive in a place like this.
Victoria coughed, feeling the chill of the night air fill her lungs. Despite her intensive and extensive training and years of experience, she could tell that the environment was too much to bear, even for her.
"Let's keep moving, Hackett. This place has killed enough… I don't wanna be next."
Readjusting her messenger bag, the Braixen slowly began to trudge forward through the snow. But after having taking just a few steps forward, Victoria came to an abrupt stop, her path blocked by her avian partner.
"...Hackett?"
Looking up from the snow, Victoria realized that Hackett had remained quite motionless ever since the two of them came to a stop. Giving him a closer inspection, she noticed that his body was shivering violently, his feathers having glued themselves together, frozen in clumps of ice from the sheer cold.
"...Hackett, are you sure you're alright?"
There was an undeniable tone of concern in her voice; something that Hackett had so rarely heard from her. It was enough to bring forth a wry smile from the usually cold Decidueye.
"Heh… I think you should be asking that yourself."
"Hackett, I'm not joking. I'm freezing, so it's got to be like a hundred times worse for you."
Hackett finally turned around, facing his partner in the eye. The Braixen, who had only been able to read his situation from his body language, went pale as she finally caught a glimpse of her partner's face, shocked at just how miserable and lifeless he looked.
"I'm… Fine."
"Nu-uh. You don't look too good."
A quick glance was all it was needed to confirm that Hackett was in a terrible shape. The life had drained from his face, his eyes glassy and blank as he looked back down towards her. Seeing a rather substantial icicle forming at the tip of his beak, Victoria reached up, intending to break it off, but instead brought her hand back down, hesitating on whether or not to carry out the action. Though a scientist and a field agent, a medic she was not.
"I'll be fine... Just gotta find some shelter."
"Shelter…? What happened to finding Kiteki first?"
Victoria looked up at him with confused concern. Hackett had been so adamant in his decision to prioritise looking for their target up until now that his sudden change of heart came as a surprise to her.
"Tori… Find some shelter."
'You… You stupid bird…! You should have said that sooner…!'
The Braixen gave a quick glance around her surroundings. Though she already knew it to be the case, she looked around her as if to triple-check that there really was nothing useful within their vicinity.
"Yeah but I really don't think we'll find anything soon- Hackett!"
Victoria screamed, cutting her sentence short as she watched her partner collapse onto the snow in front of her, his body slowly turning blue as he began to succumb to his hypothermia. In a panic, she threw herself down next to him, frantically and helplessly trying to pull his cold body up from the snow.
Hackett, unable to see Victoria's hysteria due to his vision starting to go blurry, let out a deep, chesty cough, the frigid air making his throat sting each time he tried to breathe. "If I get back to headquarters... I'm... I'm gonna give Command a goddamn piece of my mind."
"I get it, I get it, but you can't rest here! God...! Come on! Get up!
"Tori... Get... Get some heat going..."
Obliging immediately, Victoria pulled out her stick from her tail, trying again and again to get her stick to ignite with her tail. And though she could get a few sparks to appear, the relentless blizzard cruelly refused to let her start a flame.
"Hackett, I... I can't! The wind's too strong, I can't light my stick!"
Hackett groaned in reply, his voice coarse and alarmingly quiet. His partner, having given up with trying to start a fire, stowed her stick and knelt down besides him, unsure of what to do next. Touching his body, her panic deepened, feeling his body rapidly begin to cool down.
"Hackett, no, no! Stay with me, okay? We've lost Hector, I can't lose you too!"
Throwing her bag down onto the snow, she hurriedly emptied its contents, looking for anything that could help her partner. Finding nothing more than their data tablet and a few packets of ration biscuits, she looked about frantically one last time before bringing her hand up to her ear, opening up a connection with her earpiece. Covering it with her hand to try and block out the snowstorm's screaming winds, she shouted frantically into it.
"Alpha team to Operator, Alpha team to Operator!"
An uncomfortably lengthy silence passed before a voice answered, his voice sounding bored beyond belief. "Operator, roger."
"Oh God...! Wait, Who's this? Where's Maya?"
"Operator Maya is currently unavailable. She's been requested by the Board of Directors."
Victoria shook her head, trying to bring her frazzled mind to stay on topic. Though their new Operator wasn't her beloved Espeon, at this point in time she was willing to take help from anybody. "Okay, okay, look, we need help. The cold's gotten to Hackett, he's in a real bad way!"
The response from their new Operator couldn't have sounded more indifferent if it could. "Alpha team, may I remind you that you were ordered to find shelter."
"We couldn't find any! And it wasn't a goddamn order, alright!? Hackett's not going to last much longer out here, we need evac now!"
"...Copy that, Alpha team. Standby for two minutes for consideration with Command."
"Hurry!"
Victoria waited impatiently as she heard the sound of paper shuffling and hushed muttering on the other end. Under normal circumstances, two minutes would be fantastically efficient. It was proof that Command, despite its overly bureaucratic structure and system, had grasped the severity of her situation. Yet, despite the fact that she should be happy for the prompt assistance, all that she could think of in her current situation was 'Two whole minutes?'
She glanced down at Hackett, his condition appearing to worsen with each passing moment. Every second felt like it stretched for an eternity as she waited for her Operator's response. Though she was promised, and given, a swift reply, to her it felt far too long.
"Operator to Alpha team."
Hearing her new Operator finally crackle though the earpiece, Victoria frantically pressed the headset against her ear, desperate to make sure that she didn't miss a single word.
"Yes, yes, this is Alpha team!"
"Given the circumstances, evac will not be possible until the snowstorm loosens up. Command requests that you keep Hackett in a stable condition until evac is ready."
"What?! H-How long will that take?"
There was a disturbingly long silence before her reply finally crackled through the earpiece.
"...Fifteen hours."
"What? I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right. Say again?"
"Fifteen hours, Operative Victoria."
With just two words, all semblance of haste and efficiency that Victoria thought Command possessed had vanished in an instant.
Fifteen hours. Nine hundred minutes. Fifty four thousand seconds.
'And they want me to keep him alive for that long? What the fuck do they want me to do?! Smother him with three biscuits?'
No matter how she sliced it, that just wasn't good enough.
"Fifteen hours? Are… Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Operative Victoria, I assure you that this is not a jok-"
"Fuck that! I can't survive that long, let alone Hackett! No, we need evac now!" Victoria screamed into her comms device, dumbfounded by what she was hearing. The nonchalant reply that she received only served to fuel her irritation and desperation further, an almost hysterical rage beginning to build as a result of her increasingly hopeless situation.
"Fifteen hours, Operative Victoria. That is all that we can offer."
"Yeah, well fucking expedite it! I'm telling you, we're not going to last fifteen hours!"
"Operative Victoria, please try to be reasonable."
"Reasonable, my fine hot ass! Look who's talking! I could say the same for you, you slimy piece of shit!
"Operative Victoria, I suggest refraining fro-"
"Yeah, piss off, asshole! You have no idea what's happening here! You-, I, who the fuck are you? I swear to God, if I get out of here, I'll fucking char your ass so bad that it'll make the cafeterias burnt-ass excuse of a grilled steak look like a five-star fucking meal!"
Hearing her gush with a slew of expletives, a third voice, deep and stern with an air of authority, entered the conversation, bringing Victoria's rage-fuelled outburst to an abrupt end.
"Alpha team, this is Command."
"C-Command? W-Wha…?"
Victoria froze, taken aback by Command's decision to directly join the comms channel. Communication between field agents and headquarters were typically held between Operatives and Operators only, with Operators being allowed to exercise a surprising degree of freedom with regards to how to direct and assist a team of Operatives. Though it was common for Operators to ask Command for assistance, guidance or information, it was almost unheard of for Command themselves to join the communication line.
"Operative Victoria, you will refrain from verbally assaulting your Operator… Or the cafeteria, for that matter. Do you understand?"
"I…. Argh…! Y-Yes, sir…!" Caught off guard, the Braixen quickly shifted mental gears, the gravity of communicating with her superior having finally materialised in her mind as she gave off an unusually obedient reply.
"Good. Operative Victoria, do not ask for the impossible. Fifteen hours is the best we can offer and you will make that work. Your new objective is to keep Operative Hackett alive until evac is ready. Do you copy?"
Victoria spluttered in disbelief. She had thought that her new Operator was insane for giving such a ludicrous order, but hearing the same thing come from Command themselves shocked her to her core. Though she wanted to cry out in protest, she struggled to come up with the right words, the fact that she was communicating with her superiors having not been lost on her.
"S-Sir?! W-Wha- wait, no! I can't-"
"Do you copy."
"Sir, please! This is impossible! We're only contacting H.Q. cause we're out of-"
"Do you copy."
The firm response rendered the Braixen silent. Though his voice was calm, there was an unmistakable wrath behind it that intimidated even the spunky Braixen. Command wasn't asking her for her cooperation. They were giving her a direct order. And though she wished it not to be true, the sinister truth was that Command, for whatever reason they had come up with, had chosen to abandon her, having ordered her to accomplish what was clearly an infeasible task and giving her zero assistance in accomplishing it.
"…Yes, sir."
"Good. Contact will be re-established once evac is ready. Stay fearless, Operative Victoria. Command out."
The utter hopelessness of her situation having fully dawned upon her, Victoria slumped to the snowy earth, her fighting spirit rapidly draining from her body.
"Stay… Stay fearless, Command."
All she heard as she helplessly stared off towards the horizon was the heartless click of a terminated communication.
