Breccia's excitement lingered as she and Morice made their way in the dead of night. It had been a mild week, so there was really no need for the thick coat fastened around her neck.

Jumping and twirling about along the path past the Operation's Building, Morice caught himself wondering if Breccia was secretly drunk. "How high are you?"

Breccia took the hint and calmed herself. "Don't be such a prude. It's exciting." She smiled. "Dad had an entire nursery back at the clinic. He'd wake me up in the middle of the night so we could watch the eggs hatch." Back then, the excitement came from what would hatch. Breccia knew the creature this time around, it was the joy of new life that gave her a glimmer of hope.

As for Morice, he was too tired to give anything but a lethargic yawn. Grunts were few and far between in Birtan so his shifts often ran twelve to fifteen hours with only one day off a week.

Watching her skip around now only confirmed to him that she was the off one out in their group of dysfunctional degenerates. "You're too innocent for your own good."

"What makes you say that?" Breccia stopped, her untied boots singing in the snow. Aside from the near by street lamp, it was dark. Their conversation filled in any silence.

"Oh nothing." Morice said. "Just you jumping around like a cracked out Skitty." He couldn't help but wonder: "How'd you end up with us low lives anyway."

Breccia shrugged. "I had a case of sticky fingers." She smiled again, thinking back. "Dear Old Dad made so many excuses for me back in the day, it made my brother sick." She turned about on her feet, strolling leisurely without a care in the world. She wasn't sure where the good mood was coming from, but she was going to enjoy it while it lasted. "I use to break into houses as a kid...I didn't take anything, I just liked the rush of doing it."

"Good old gutter climbing." Morice continued to walk along side her.

"Nothing like that." Breccia commented. "I broke in. All you need is a hair pin and a lock. Just gotta feel around for the tumblers. I even got into the Saffron City gym once. Too bad for me the gym leader was still there."

"Landed you in jail?"

"Not that time. It was when I tried to steal from the museum in Pewter that I had cuffs slapped on me." She paused. "Okay, well, it was that...then I tried to escape the police by stealing and wiring a car. I made it to Celadon, and then crashed into a fountain...oh and I was drunk at the time." She noticed when the man beside her choked back a laugh. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just kinda hard imagining you doing that."

"The judge said the same thing. He went easy on me and dropped the grand theft auto...and the underage intoxication."

"How old were you?"

"Nineteen."

As they approached the lab, Morice saw the outside sensor lights kick on. "I'd ask if your old man got the booze but I figured-"

"I stole it."

"Thata girl."

Going up the steps, both took care to knock the snow from their boots before entering. Tess was waiting with Neil.

When Morice came in behind Breccia, Tess stopped speaking momentarily. "Oh, I didn't think you were bringing anyone."

"He was hanging at my place." Breccia answered. "I figured, since he was there when we found the egg, he'd want to see." Going into the back room, she saw the tiny, speckled egg fidgeting about inside its hatchery. "There's definitely some movement." She placed both hands to the glass, leaning in to get a better look. "There's also a little cracking at the base. It should be any time now."

"It's been bouncing around for the last hour or so." Tess piled in after the other two guys. "I didn't think to call you until the shell started coming apart."

Opening the small compartment in the front, Breccia peeked in to get a better look. The other three watched as the top of the egg peeled away, chipping like old paint.

When the shell fell away and the creature emerged, none were really sure WHAT it was they were looking at.

"Is that..." Morice leaned in closer.

"It's a Zubat." Neil said. "I think."

While most of the hatchling's kind would've been a shade of blue with a decoration of purple around the ears, this one was an odd green with angled, deformed wings. It was also incredibly small. So small in fact that it could fit in the palm of Breccia's hand.

"I think something's wrong with it." Tess tossed her blond braid over her shoulder. "It's tiny."

"It's a newborn." Breccia said in a stern voice. "You all act like you've never seen one before." Sure it looked 'different' but that was the least of Breccia's concerns. Crouching, she was gentle when reaching her hand in. She plucked the creature from the remains of it's shell with ginger fingers. Using her pinky, she stroked the top of its head before poking at its mouth. "Lets see here...look at those pointy fangs. You're a little boy aren't you?" The Pokemon curled into her palm, attracted to her body heat.

"Um..." While her lab partner coddled the new born, Tess wondered how best to break the news. "I think he might be a little premature. My parents were breeders and I've seen a lot of his kind. I don't think he's gonna make it."

"Of course he is." Breccia stood up to show the others. "He might need some extra time in the incubator, but I've seen them smaller." She extended her arms out to show Morice. "Isn't he cute?"

"He's something." Seeing her gush over a creature no bigger than a Sitrus Berry only confirmed Morice's original assumption: Breccia was the white Mareep among the black ones.

"Why are the lights still on?" Hearing Lars voice broke the revelry. "What are you all doing back here?" He shoved Neil out of the way. When he saw the small, deformed specimen in Breccia's hand, he reacted with disgust. "What is that thing?"

"It came from the egg." Tess answered. "You know, the thing you threw in the incubator and forgot about?"

"Clearly I had a good reason to forget it." Lars felt no joy at the new life and, instead, was aggravated. "Throw it out and go home. I need you all here early tomorrow."

"Excuse me?" Breccia said. "Throw it out? He's too little, he'll die out in the snow-"

"Then he's no use to us."

"Let her keep it." Morice interrupted, annoyed that he had to speak to Lars at all. He had hoped the accident in Verandi would be the last of their interactions.

Lars must've noticed the attitude because he struck back with a fire edged temper. "Last I checked, a grunt has no right to tell me how to run MY lab. Unless you're on the clock, I suggest you take your useless tirades somewhere else." He turned to Breccia. "Toss it. That's an order."

"No!" While she had done good about staying to herself over the past week, Breccia was not about to abandon a helpless creature. (Even at the order of her superior). "He isn't hurting you. I'm taking him back to my apartment." She fought her way into the main area but was followed by an angry Lars who was raging at her insubordination.

"If you step one food out of this lab with that ear mite YOU'LL be in the snow with it." His fatal mistake came when he snagged the back of her coat, yanking and gagging her.

The moment Morice saw Lars dragging Breccia around like a Houndor on a leash, he returned the favor and snagged the man by the collar, slamming him up against a table. "Think you're tough? Why don't you try doing that to me?"

"That's enough!" As soon as the fight started, it ended. Coming into the lab, Arlia at his side as always, Riker was displeased at the drama. "Do you want to explain to me what the hell is going on?!"

Morice dropped Lars like a sack of spoiled potatoes and backed away. "Nothing sir, we were just-"

"Causing a riot from the looks of it." Riker looked around at the others. Tess and Neil took a second to get Lars back on his feet while Breccia stood, still and scared. "In the dead of night and every light is on. I come in here and see a bunch of grown adults squabbling like children!" His vision snapped to Breccia. "Was this your doing?"

Morice tried to defend her. "Sir she wasn't-"

"Shut up." Still angry, Riker snapped. "I feel like I have the right to be pissed when my scientists are fighting like kids in a school yard." Luckily for Breccia, he jumped to Lars next. "Since you're so determined to stand above the rest here, why don't YOU explain to me what's going on?"

As to be expected, Lars jumped at the opportunity. "I was closing up for the night and our new ASSISTANT thought it would be fun to come in after hours." He continued. "I found her playing with that thing." He pointed to the newborn in his worker's hands. "It would appear she's incapable of listening to her superiors."

Perhaps it was the fact that, in Breccia's mind, she was already screwed. She figured she'd much rather be thrown out of the Organization with her new Pokemon than without it. Either way, her vision blurred and the rage in her stomach ruptured. "It isn't my fault that everyone here shares half a brain when it comes to raising these poor things." She held up the Zubat as emphasis. From there, her anger boiled over and splashed onto Riker. "You wouldn't need experiments and microchips if you were smart enough to keep your Pokemon alive! Don't stand here yelling at me when I'm the only one who knows what I'm doing!"

That ended things. The yelling, the arguments, it all fell away and a quiet took its place.

Instead of continuing on his tirade, Riker crossed his arms, contemplating. "Let me see it." He pointed to the Pokemon in the assistant's grip. "That thing. Let me see it." When his order was obeyed, he glanced at the pathetic bat. "What's wrong with it?"

"He's premature." Breccia answered, shaky but confident. "Likely due to being mishandled in his egg. He also has some deformities. He'll never fly, but with time in the incubator and a little TLC; he should be functional."

"I see." Clearing his throat, Riker nodded. "Alright. Well, I think it's best you keep it." Then to Lars: "Since this is YOUR lab, I'm sure it's about time she got a Pokemon of her own. She's developed feelings for this thing, it's best she have it."

"Y-yes sir." Lars adjusted the collar of his lab coat, still weak in the knees from his run in with Morice.

"Good. Now ALL of you need to leave. It's past hours." Riker's stress from his call with Stotler fared no better when facing such juvenile distractions. If their newest addition thought she had what it took to nurse such a frail creature, he'd let her try. "I'll be sure to keep an eye on your progress."

Breccia heaved a sigh of relief before speaking again. "Morice. I want you to get the incubator. We'll take it back to my place." She rubbed her new Pokemon with a caring finger. "Don't worry, we'll get you home soon."