"Say boss, I've got a question for ya... Is this place an independent or do you get funding through the Johto league?" Nic asked abruptly, causing Todd to choke slightly on his cup of ramen.
"Uhm, well... It's a personal reason but this facility is largely an independent..." Todd explained briefly, sticking to slim details.
"Wow, and this place has been around for fourteen years now? That's pretty impressive... How'd you do it?" Nic pressed, truly interested.
"Well, I have Maddy to thank for the most part, in fact she's the main reason I don't lose my mind over financial reports, I never knew she could crunch such numbers..." He said, smiling at said March Hare who was too involved with her work at the moment to notice she was being talked about.
"One more thing... Why didn't you let me put security in the lower level, namely what the staff calls 'h-ward'? Sounds erotic to say the least..." Nic joked as he saw a grim look overtake his boss' face.
"I'll only tell you once, don't go down there if you want to come back with your sanity intact... Understood?" He said in a severely creeped out tone.
"Why, you scared of the place that much?" Nic joked, yet unsure of what Todd was referring to.
"Just... Trust me on this, PLEASE don't go down there, it's a complete madhouse... I don't even go down there unless I have to, and even then One of the staff has to go for me, the cleaning supplies are down there as it's the only place to hold them, but I digress... I don't want you poking around in there unless you feel like having your sanity take a leave of absence for the remainder of your natural life..." Todd warned in a no-nonsense tone.
"Wait, why are you so afraid of... oooohh, I get it... I was wondering what was down there, ghost types, right?" Nic said as suddenly he felt as though someone or something just walked over his grave.
"You feel that chill up your spine yet, Nic? I'm warning you as a friend, DON'T go down there... You'll just disturb them." Todd said grimly as the feeling subsided from Nic's mind.
"Fine, got it boss..." Nic said, curious yet fearful of what he'd just experienced.
"Moving on to other matters, I get the feeling that Kat is due for another escape attempt, she always tries every few weeks to reclaim her blade though she's yet to succeed in fleeing the grounds..." Todd said, changing the subject abruptly.
"You mean the Berserker in the high-security threat ward? What's her backstory again?" Nic inquired.
"She turned to an odd habit for her type, utilizing performance-enhancing drugs and chemicals to 'better herself' as she put it, though in the end it weakened her... It all stemmed from a high amount of insecurity in herself for an unknown reason." Todd explained.
"Geez, I can't believe that stuff is still around... Just goes to show you the infinite stupidity of some people, I guess." Nic quipped.
"Indeed, but in any case be on standby for when she pulls another escape attempt, even moreso afterward..." Todd said with an anxious look on his face.
"Why's that? Seems to me she's gonna be too out of it with my security after to do anything..." Nic joked.
"Ever hear tell of the phrase, 'Fuck like Bunnygirls?' She becomes extremely aroused after a fight despite losing, and sometimes she's broken a few bones if you catch my drift..." Dr. Sorensen said with a sick look, obviously using a double meaning.
"Yikes... Alright, so what happens if that goes down?" Nic asked, hoping for an optimistic answer.
"We pray the damage isn't too severe..." Todd said with zero humor.
"Well aren't you hopeful..." Nic said sarcastically. Suddenly the building came alive with the sounds of walls being crushed open, with a female voice screaming for her sword.
"Like clockwork, never a dull moment..." Todd said, donning a hard hat from under his desk, grabbing a hidden Tranquilizer gun from the same area.
"Ready to do a little Berserker hunting?" Todd said with an actually eager smile.
"That's what I'm talkin' about!" Nic said with a huge grin. As the two men peered carefully out into the mess they noticed the damage, though noisy, was minimal.
"She's not too destructive is she... Damn noisy though..." Nic said quietly as he walked out into the debris chipped off the wall.
"She's about a minute away from where that sword of hers is stored... We won't get there in time, but she's got a surprise coming her way, trust me..." Nic said with a glint in his eye.
"What did you do?" Todd asked him with a similar smile.
"Remember me sayin' I ordered somethin' to help with heavy duty construction from my old job with the military?" Nic said gleefully as the sounds of something big and heavy could be heard lumbering around in the general direction of the Berserker Pokegirl.
"Let's go see what the load lifter suit caught, shall we doc?" Nic said with the tranquilizer gun slung over his shoulder in an epic pose. As they made their way to the scene, they saw Kat still trying to get her sword, which had been carefully bolted to the support structure inside the wall it had been mounted on, along with several 3-inch thick metal straps around it, also bolted to several more pieces of metal. She was unable to do little more than tug hopelessly at the bindings on her weapon. Suddenly she heard the two men approaching and grabbed a sizable chunk of wall-debris, which she chucked at the two men's heads in rage.
"Get away from my blade! You have no right to do this to Jetta!" She said in an Edo League accent. She quickly picked up another piece of wall to throw, but Nic quickly and effortlessly popped a tranquilizer round in her shoulder. The effects were quick to take hold, but she continued to fight them, wildly throwing more rubble in their general direction but aiming terribly. She had just picked up one last piece before she dropped like a sack of bricks at the foot of the men, hand in an outstretched position as if to say, 'I'll get you for this... one day.'
"How often did you say this happens? This was kinda fun, though just a little short-lived, the construction unit couldn't even get here in time to deal with her..." Nic said as suddenly a large exosuit tromped around the corner to look at the situation.
"You're late James... Get'er back to her room and make sure to redo the straps..." Nic said, obviously talking to someone inside the suit.
"Righto, I'll see what I can do..." Someone inside said in a cockney accent.
"Nic, what the heck is this thing, might I ask?" Todd said amazed at the sight of the suit.
"Long story short, I made it, technically speaking... The blueprints anyway, so yeah I got to keep the prototype, cool huh?" Nic said with pride.
"Wanna learn how to use it?" Nic said with a grin to Todd, who had a look like a kid at Christmas on his face.
"Let's get Kat back to her quarters first, then we'll talk..." Todd said before James picked her up and began lumbering off toward her room.