.

Mission: Rescue Plan

Tyson paced agitatedly, often pulling out his phone and checking it. Viper at this point looked more than a little concerned too, staring out the window towards where the balloon would come in. "Dammit, where is he?!" Tyson demanded. "It's been two hours now!" Viper was quiet, not ready with any sort of answer. Telling Tyson that Mondo had probably just lost track of time stopped being relevant when it passed the half-hour threshold. Tyson tried calling again. Again, no reply. Angrily he threw his phone across the room with a furious shout. Viper was quick to catch it. That was their one way of communicating with Mondo right now. It wouldn't do to break the damn thing. Tyson sat heavily down, burying his face in his hands and trying not to imagine the worst.

Viper remained quiet, staring out the window. Suddenly he started. "It's the balloon," he said. Tyson looked sharply up. "Tyson, it's the balloon! They're back!"

"Finally!" Tyson said, shooting to his feet and racing out to meet it as it came in. Viper followed him quickly.

They ran up to the landing pad, watching it come in. As it neared, though, hope became shock, then concern, then outright terror. "Oh no," Viper muttered. The drill sergeant wore his fear. Tyson, however, quickly schooled his own into a dark expression that bordered on stoic but most certainly wasn't.

"Viper, why do I only count one?" Tyson lowly and menacingly asked. Viper was silent, watching numbly as the balloon descended.

PKMN

James looked fearfully down as the balloon began to come in. Tyson's eyes were fixed on him, dark and murderous. Viper looked stunned and worried. James grimaced and considered again contacting someone, most likely Hun and Attila, but rejected the idea. Whatever Tyson wanted to do to him for this, he probably had it coming for his utter failure to protect his teammates and his ward. He swallowed nervously and braced himself, letting out a shaky and uncertain sigh. The balloon touched down. Before it even had, Tyson had reached up and dragged him out of it, holding him off the ground.

"Where. Is. My. Brother?" Tyson darkly asked, scowling.

James inwardly shuddered. "He was caught trying to take the lycanroc. They attacked him, but Jessie and I stepped in and saved him. He got his prize and we headed to the balloon to get home, but we were shot down by the guards and crashed. He, our target, took Meowth to sell or breed, and… and took Mondo and Jessie too…"

"What?" Drill Sergeant Viper icily asked. Tyson's eyes twitched as he took this in.

"He said they would make up for what he'd lost in profit and… and set me free to come back here and tell the boss to contact him to hear ransom demands… If the boss doesn't pay, I don't want to know how he plans to make up his lost profits with Mondo and Jessie," James said.

He honestly had seen it coming, but the force with which it happened still threw him off. Just suddenly he was on the ground and being slammed against if over and over as Tyson lost himself in a frenzied rage. James desperately tried to defend himself by throwing his arms up in front of him as Tyson stopped smashing him into the ground and started trying to pummel him to a pulp or gauge out his eyes or whatever the officer was attempting right now. James only knew pain. He believed he maybe heard Drill Sergeant Viper screaming something, and grunts rushing up to respond to the man's shouts, but James' ears were ringing, and he was seeing in spots and suddenly his brain registered the pain, and then he was screaming in agony and begging for help and mercy desperately as Tyson continued to attempt to turn him into a misshapen blob.

Suddenly Tyson was being dragged away from him but was still throwing a fit, murder in his eyes. He wanted to rip him to pieces, James knew. James lay on the ground in agony, shuddering and unable to move as he came to realize just how badly he'd been damaged by Tyson's brief onslaught. He was almost certain something had been broken, possibly multiple somethings. He was also aware he would be a mess of hideous bruises in short order, and there was more than a little bleeding, likely from the man's fingernails or some kind of weapon Tyson might have had on him.

"Can't kill him… Let him live… Tell Giovanni… Look at what you're doing!" Viper was saying, but James could only catch snippets and his pulse pounded in his ears. Likewise Tyson could only catch snippets too, blinded by rage and almost completely deaf to all else. "This won't help save Mondo!" Those were the words that finally snapped James and Tyson out of their dazes. James lay still on the ground, not daring to move and having trouble even breathing. Tyson glared loathingly and wished he had a weapon to finish this with.

Tyson willed himself to breathe. Losing himself in an emotional frenzy would help no one. As he started to calm down, Viper and the six grunts who'd been helping hold him back from James, tentatively released him. Tyson was still, glaring disgustedly at the broken body lying on the ground and shuddering in pain. "Get him out of my sight," Tyson darkly ordered in a hiss. Then he blew up. "Drag his sorry carcass down into the prison block, chain him there, and leave him to rot! If anything happens to Mondo, execute him. Hell, execute him anyway!"

"That order can only be given by Giovanni," Viper cautiously warned, keeping a safe distance back.

"Then I'll make sure that's what his sentence is!" Tyson roared, whirling on the man and making Viper jump.

"I'll deserve it if he does, but you have to listen to me!" James gasped out in pain, barely able to speak for the agony in his chest.

"You have five seconds," Tyson said. "While he's talking, cuff him." Uneasily the grunts went over to James to carry out the order, though it was apparent they were reluctant about the idea.

"He told me not to tell anyone about it, just talk to the boss and leave it at that. I cross him, someone dies," James said through wheezing gasps. "I'm putting all my trust in Team Rocket to extract them without casualty, that's the only reason I answered you. If I thought we couldn't manage it, I'd have gone right to Giovanni as ordered. Please! Don't make me regret that decision."

"You're in no position to make demands!" Tyson shouted. "Take the cowardly bastard away." Quickly the grunts hurried to do so, Tyson and Viper both escorting them. Now that the threat of out-and-out murder was out of the air, Viper suddenly was quiet and looked much, much more determined than he had before.

PKMN

They marched James roughly down the hallways, James doing his best to ignore the odd looks agents and grunts were giving him, and on occasion the heckling and taunting. To say he was terrified was an understatement, but ultimately at this point he was more afraid for Jessie and Mondo than he was for himself.

Jessie, Mondo, Meowth… Be alright…

He gritted his teeth, closing his eyes tightly and willing away the threat of tears. He drew in a shaky breath and looked up again only to freeze before being forced to move again. Up ahead he could see Attila and Hun talking. Oh no, he inwardly groaned. This was the last position in the world he wanted either of them to see him in. And if they were spotted, it would fast become Tyson's bane. Tyson, apparently, was passed the point of caring. He marched right towards the two as if daring them to speak up.

Hun and Attila looked over and started, Attila's mouth dropping in shock and Hun looking a bit surprised. It took Hun all of one second to act. "Hold," the officer ordered.

"Fuck you," Tyson replied.

The next second Attila had him up against the wall, scowling at him. "You'll treat your superior with respect," he all but snarled.

"F-you too!" Tyson snarled, shoving Attila off him. Attila went at him again, and the two began grappling.

Hun's eyes were locked on James, whose head was bowed low in shame and humiliation. The agent went to James, who looked slowly up. Hun's jaw twitched on seeing the bruises and the pain in the younger one's eyes. Hun scanned him quietly. "Injury report. Now." James kept silent. "That was an order, agent," Hun warned.

"Bruises, lacerations, chest was a bit banged up," James said.

"How banged up?" Hun asked.

James was quiet. "Broken ribs," he finally admitted.

Hun's frown deepened, and the officer looked at the grunts. "Where are you bringing him?"

"Why not ask me?" Tyson snarled through the headlock Attila had him in. He elbowed the other right where it mattered, and Attila yelped, dropping him like a disease and bending over with a gasp.

"Very well. What have you done, Tyson?" Hun asked.

"He's going right down to the prison block, he's being chained up and left to rot, and when I get back from fixing his screw up, Giovanni's going to be ordering an execution. I'll make sure of it," Tyson defiantly stated.

"Will he now?" Hun replied.

"Yeah. He will," Tyson said.

Hun silently read the man. "Something happened with Mondo," the agent soon deduced. "And I'll assume Jessie and Meowth, as it seems James is the only one in your clutches and is paying triple the price." Tyson was quiet. "You know better than to act in a state of high emotion."

"Get out of the damn way Basho," Tyson threatened evenly.

"No," Hun answered.

"Get out of the way!" Tyson roared, looking ready to go at Hun.

"Give me James," Hun ordered icily.

"I'll give you his corpse to bury," Tyson snarled. He regretted the words immediately. Before he could even process what was happening, there was a throwing knife at his throat and he was on his back on the ground with Hun crouched on him like a predator. The tip of the knife dug into his skin, and for the first time in a good long while Tyson was feeling royally freaked out. That expression on Hun's face, the look in Hun's eyes… He didn't know how to describe it. Stoic and yet so, so much more. The agent looked for a moment like a manifested nightmare, or death, had come to him to throw him into a horror show or something.

"Wrong answer, Tatsumi," Hun threatened.

Tyson, recovering quickly, scowled up at Hun, who glared evenly back. "Take James to the prison block," Tyson ordered the grunts evenly.

"Don't move a muscle. Any of you," Hun commanded. They of course listened to the superior officer, staying perfectly still.

"Enough, the both of you!" Viper shot suddenly. Hun and Tyson both glanced over at him. "You want to settle this then take it to Giovanni."

"Hun is Giovanni's pet. Of course he'll take Hun's side!" Tyson shot.

"Giovanni is also more objective, currently, than either of you seem to be," Viper replied warningly. "Go."

Hun and Tyson were both quiet and looked at one another again. Tyson was scowling, but didn't dare to move with the tip of a knife at his throat. Finally, Hun rose. "Attila and I will be escorting James to Giovanni. You and Viper may follow if you must." The officer turned to the grunts. "Go. All of you." Immediately they scattered, really not wanting to be here any longer than was necessary.

"What'd James have to do to…" Tyson began.

"Be very, very, very careful, Tyson," Attila warned. Tyson stopped and clammed up. He was emotionally charged, yeah, but he hadn't gone complete moron yet.

PKMN

Attila and Hun moved at a more reasonable pace for James, who was immensely relieved for it. At least his body wasn't shrieking in protest with every step he was taking. They'd even pause for him if they saw him having a hard time. It was during one of these times, Tyson waiting impatiently with Viper and Attila facing them both down challengingly as Hun stayed right in front of James like a protective wall, that James spoke up. "I'm sorry," he said.

"For what?" Hun asked.

"That I'm causing you so much trouble," James replied. "I've neve known you and Tyson to be at odds with one another until now."

"It was only a matter of time. Every close work relationship has its troubles," Hun said.

"I'm sorry too that I failed… I failed, and it cost me Jessie and Meowth and Mondo all in one fell swoop," James miserably said. "Perhaps I deserve this. All of it. What he wants to do to me."

"Tyson is in an emotional frenzy. When he has a chance to calm down, he'll come to his senses again… Then he'll remember that he isn't the only one who's hurting over this," Hun answered, saying the last part loudly enough for Tyson to hear. Tyson visibly tensed up but said nothing, nor did he give a sign of backing off. "Come, otouto. We're almost there." James nodded and grimaced in pain, straightening up and shuddering in pain. Hun frowned and got James's arm around the shoulders, acting at the other's support.

PKMN

Giovanni and Ariana - who had been in conference with him when the three officers, the drill sergeant, and James had come in - listened in disbelief to James's explanation of events. James cut out the parts about the lycanroc, not giving a sign they'd caught any and making it seem like they'd been captured before they could. "Then when James came back Tyson figured it was righteous retribution to beat him to a pulp, break his chest, toss him in a prison, and have him executed as an example to Jessie and Meowth later, totally overlooking the fact it would absolutely destroy Mondo," Attila said.

"Go screw yourself, Attila!" Tyson shouted.

"Salty, Tyson?" Attila replied, smirking tauntingly.

"I stepped in and ordered Tyson to hand James to us. Tyson refused. Things escalated, and Tyson ended up with my knife to his throat. Viper stepped in to play mediator and reminded us it was not in fact either of our decisions what to do," Hun said.

Giovanni listened, frowning darkly. He looked at James, whose head was bowed low. "You mentioned the target had a message for me," he said. "Dare I ask?"

"A ransom demand, from what I understood," James replied. "You paid a steep price, one of them went free. Only one. Unless you were willing to pay out the nose, then maybe he'd set the other human free too, but not Meowth."

"Good. Get Mondo back and let Jessie take care of herself," Tyson shot.

"Silence!" Giovanni barked at Tyson, who jumped in surprise. He blinked then fell quiet, bowing his head ashamedly. Giovanni considered it. "I suppose he wants me to contact him to ask the price," he soon remarked. James nodded. "Hmm… Very well. I'll contact him. And while I'm negotiating, you Tyson, will be taking a team of grunts and agents of your choosing to that mansion, you will find Jessie, Mondo, and Meowth, you will extract all of them, and you will burn that place to the ground with extreme prejudice. Ensure the host is still inside."

"He may be prepared for something like that," James said. "He warned me that if I did this, what I'm doing now, one of them would die! He said he'd know and implied he had ways of figuring it out"

"Shit," Tyson whispered under his breath, clenching his teeth and closing his eyes tight.

Giovanni's scowled darkly on hearing this. He rose. "Take James to the dungeons. But there will not under any circumstances be an execution, am I clear?" Tyson shot a triumphant look at Hun, who ignored it and stared solemnly at Giovanni. "Don't get smug, Mr. Tatsumi. I'm putting him in prison for his own protection against you and Viper should something go wrong." Tyson started and scowled but didn't argue, instead crossing his arms and glaring at James.

"If that is your command, so be it," Hun said, bowing. The agent was less impressed with the order than Tyson was, in fact. "Request permission to at least get him medical treatment."

"Permission granted," Giovanni replied. "Tyson, be on standby. I want that place burned to the ground, I want my agents extracted, but before I give any concrete order I must consider the situation."

"The more time we waste the less chance they have!" Tyson argued.

"The more rashly we act, the more likely it is that someone will die. James has said the man agreed Jessie was more valuable to him than Mondo, and James has said the man was infuriated with your brother for his interference. Now who do you think will be executed first, should he sense something amiss? Perhaps Jessie will beg for it to be her, but you and I both know begging will only go so far. Mondo will be the one who dies," Giovanni said. Tyson looked like he'd been struck, and now seemed more than a little terrified. Viper put a grounding hand on his shoulder, squeezing it and staring solemnly at Giovanni. "Dismissed. All of you. Tyson, you will be contacted when I've formed a plan."

"Yes sir," they all said together, saluting. With that, they left the office.

PKMN

Giovanni watched them leave then sat back down, letting out a slightly wavering sigh. For a moment he'd been concerned there was going to be blood, he dryly noted. What in the world had Attila and Hun seen in Jessie and James to make them so intent on mentoring the two? He supposed it was mostly Hun, actually, which only made him that much more curious. Never before had he had reason to question Hun's judgement, he wouldn't question it now. He just wished he understood what it was the officer was seeing that he wasn't.

"What are you thinking?" Ariana asked.

"Something unrelated to the situation altogether," he admitted. "Hmm… This target poses a problem. I didn't expect a member of the aristocracy to be this ruthless."

"Scum is everywhere. You know that better than anyone," Ariana replied. "I'm surprised at you, Giovanni. Noblemen have a long history of disgustingness. It didn't stop with the middle ages or the Renaissance. Money still talks."

"Perhaps. But public outcry can ruin a man like that easily enough," Giovanni said. "Where will all his talking money be then?"

"Lining the pockets of prison guards and lawyers," Ariana stated. Giovanni smirked darkly. Not if someone else got it first, he inwardly answered. He'd have to look into this man's assets and where he kept them. For now, though, the man's fortune wasn't his concern. "Will you pay him a ransom?" she asked.

"Are you against it?" Giovanni answered.

"Were it Silver I would be advocating it and in fact insisting, for obvious reasons, but it isn't. It's Jessie and Mondo. Mondo's little more than a grunt, and Jessie I doubt highly is worth the price that will be asked for her. Silver is your child, I could justify paying ransom for him on that basis alone, but I can't justify your paying through the nose for Jessie," Ariana replied. Giovanni was quiet, jaw set. She watched him a moment silently. "Of course, rumors once circled quite openly about a certain… affair with a favorite agent of your mother's. Quite a tantalizing one at that. She was beautiful and strong, unpredictable and wild… You've always liked to capture and tame that which is wild… Perhaps there is a skeleton in your closet you've hidden away after all. It would certainly explain why you never got rid of her, James, and Meowth." Giovanni shot a sharp look at her out the corner of his eyes. "Do you not know whether or not she is, Giovanni?" she taunted with a faux pout.

Giovanni stayed silent. Finally, he rose and turned to her. She frowned, going on guard just in case he tried something. "Don't think for one moment, Ariana, that because of what we once had I won't make you suffer or have you killed for insolence and insubordination," he threatened, approaching her slowly like a persian stalking its prey. She suddenly found herself backed against the wall, him hovering over her, and wondered how she'd ended up here so easily. "Test me further. I dare you," he said. She glared at him and it was apparent her own wild nature wanted to retaliate, but Ariana was no one's fool. She did the smart thing and kept quiet. Her sense of self-preservation was much sharper than her forked tongue.

"So then give him what he wants and buy ourselves time to plan?" Ariana asked, dropping the subject of Jessie and Miyamoto immediately.

Giovanni continued to glare until he was satisfied she wouldn't push his buttons any further, then drew away from her and returned to his desk, staring at it and thinking. "I'll ask him his price. Should it be reasonable, I'll pay it and get one agent at least out of the crossfire. Two are easier to protect and rescue than three. I intend to get my money back one way or another, and dig my claws into his as well after a bit of research. There'll be no profits lost and only profits gained, and I'll have my agents back alive rather than back in body bags," he said.

"And if the price is more than you're willing to pay?" Ariana asked. Giovanni considered this. "Then I'll take the risk and send Tyson with a team out to try and rescue them."

"You told Tyson Mondo would be the first one killed if anyone was," she said.

"And he will be. Going into the mission Tyson will know that, and so he'll have extra incentive to be doubly cautious and not rash. It could save them all, or it could cost him one. If he selects the team I suspect he will, I'm banking on it saving them all," Giovanni answered.

"There are to many what-ifs," Ariana protested.

"It's all we have!" Giovanni shot sharply. As far as he knew they had no agents in that area who could successfully infiltrate the mansion and rescue the captives.

PKMN

Suddenly the phone on the desk rang. Giovanni looked over at it, startled. Very, very few could reach him through his direct line. Generally, they had to go through Matori. He started at the phone a moment then put it on speaker. "Who is this?" he questioned.

"Giovanni, I presume," a man's voice replied.

"Who is this?" he repeated.

"I suppose you wouldn't remember us. When we were active in Team Rocket, it was under your mother. Goodness it's been years. We retired before she died even. I'm surprised you never changed the number to your direct line after she passed. Also relieved. Contacting you, then, would be much more difficult," the man said. Giovanni and Arianna started, exchanging looks. Giovanni motioned for Ariana to start scanning old Team Rocket records. She went to the filing cabinet nearby and deactivated the numerous security protocols around the drawer that had names of retired agents from around Madame Boss's time.

"Who is this?" Giovanni said in a growl, scowling.

"Allies. That's all you need to know. Favorites of your mother, though not as much so as Miyamoto," the man answered. "It seems a few of your current operatives have gotten into a bit of a sticky situation. Crossed the wrong man, played the wrong cards, paid for it… James has returned to you?"

"How do you know which one came back?" Giovanni asked.

"Because Jessie knows who I am, and it was me she contacted when things went wrong. Did James come back?" the man repeated.

"You're very concerned about James," Giovanni remarked.

He heard Ariana gasp and looked over quickly. Ariana looked stunned. Quickly she pulled out two files from the 'K' section. She blinked and looked over at Giovanni. "Isn't Kojiro James's last name?" she whispered. Giovanni caught on immediately and stiffened. Ariana came over, laying the two files down on the desk.

"My concern for James is something I'm sure you're attempting to figure out this very moment," the man on the other end answered. "Just tell me if he returned."

Giovanni stared at the files and looked at Ariana. "Bring James's file," he mouthed. She hurriedly did so, taking it out and handing it over. Giovanni opened it up, reading through. He looked at the other two. After a moment he began to chuckle. Well, well, well…

"Figured it out, have you? I'm sure you're quite proud of yourself, but perhaps you should be focused more on the preservation of your captured agents than my ties to James," the person said.

"Your son made it back, Johnathon," Giovanni stated, cutting out any mention of his fate upon his return. "I remember you. Vaguely. Dinah was close to Miyamoto, if I recall correctly."

"Hmm… I'd love to reminisce, but there's no time for that now. Fortunately for you, we happen to be in attendance at this godawful ball. Fortunately for you, we're personally connected to the ones who were captured. We certainly wouldn't be going out of our way for just anyone. Leave the rescue operation to us. We need only an extraction team of at the very least two, to be on hand to pick them up once we've freed them," he said.

"What are you asking in return?" Giovanni asked.

"Nothing. We're retired, and we don't intend to come out of it any time soon. However, once it was our job, and besides that the victims in this case have connections to us. Anyhow, it will be amusing to relive those days for a little while. And worthwhile. You lose nothing, you risk nothing, but you gain everything," Johnathon replied.

Ariana and Giovanni exchanged looks. Ariana frowned and nodded in confirmation. She was all for it. It was up to him, though. Giovanni turned back to the phone. "How soon do you need the extraction team to be there?"

"Within the next few hours. Let's be optimistic and say two. By the end of one, the ball will be dying down. Then the distraction begins, and the search," the man replied. "If I'm lucky, quick, and haven't lost my touch, within a half hour I'll have pinpointed where they're being kept. It will take fifteen or so minutes to get there and get them out, and fifteen more to find our way back to the roof."

"I'll give you three hours. No need to rush then. Should it be sooner, let me know. I'll have them on standby not far from the mansion, ready to go the moment I cue them," Giovanni said.

"Alright… And don't tell James about this. At least not about our connections to the organization. It's really none of my runaway child's business what his parents did in the glory days before he came along," Lord Kojiro stated.

"Agreed," Giovanni said. "Good luck. Make sure you get my operatives out alive."

"I intend to," Lord Kojiro replied, hanging up.

"Well I'll be. Team Rocket really does have agents everywhere," Ariana said, smirking in amusement. Giovanni chuckled darkly, grinning as a sense of pride washed through him. At times he forgot how proud he was of this organization.