"This is not acceptable!"
"At least I made it out alive," Janine retorted, her voice just as angry as Red's. "Unlike the grunt I sent into the base to deliver the message."
Red glared at her for a moment, then sighed and started shuffling around papers on his desk. After a few seconds, he found the one he was looking for, which he handed to Janine.
"Your next assignment is to seek out Masked Rocket bases in Kanto. Surge will then move in with a squad and destroy them," he told her. "That paper I just gave you is a list of suspected enemy bases. Start with those."
"Yes sir," she replied, obviously still annoyed.
"Write a letter to the grunt's family," Red said then, surprising her. "Ask around, see if anyone knows if his family had knowledge of his membership in Team Rocket. If they did, tell them he served loyally. If they didn't, tell them the same, but don't specify which organisation he died for."
"I'll do that right away," Janine said, her expression softening. "But why?"
"Because his family deserves to know. Because he gave his life for us and our cause. Because it's good for morale."
"Alright, alright. I get it."
"Good. I'll be leaving soon to pick up Blue. Tell Surge to make sure nothing is left that could link me to Silver's death."
"I guess the punishment would be severe if he missed a spot?" Janine replied sarcastically, raising an eyebrow. Red frowned at her. Was it possible she was thinking of betraying him? No, of course not. She would gain nothing from that, and she would be breaking her own vow. Someone that put so much faith into honor would never do such a thing. That was probably also the reason she seemed to dislike Surge so much.
"The punishment would suit the mistake," he said finally, trying to sound casual. "After all, mistakes can not be afforded at this time."
When Janine simply nodded, he sent her on her way and left the office to pick up Blue at the nearby bus stop. It was cloudy and dark outside when he exited the base. It was mid-October, after all, and the weather suited the season. By the time he reached their meeting spot, a light rain had started, so he stepped in below the tiny roof that the bus stop offered. It only took a couple of minutes for the bus he was waiting for to arrive.
"Blue, over here!" he called out, waving her over. She jogged over to where he was, pulling a small umbrella from her bag as she did. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed how she was dressed.
"Let's go," she muttered. "I'm eager to start."
"Isn't that cold?" Red asked, eying her outfit. She wore a short, black skirt, dark blue t-shirt and sneakers. It was not exactly what you would expect someone to wear in October.
"It doesn't bother me. Show me the base, and tell me the plan to avenge Silver."
"All things in time," Red chided her. "First, we'll let you put your packing in your room. Second, you should rest. You'll need energy in the days and weeks to come. We need to locate the main Masked Rocket HQ before we can avenge anyone. I've sent agents to deal with that."
"That's fine," Blue replied shortly. "As long as you keep your promise. I can wait."
"I'll do my best to make sure it happens quickly. Now, let's go get your room ready. You'll be staying there for a while, after all."
"Yeah. Thanks."
The morning light was spilling in through the windows near the roof, casting a blinding glare over parts of the lab,while leaving the rest in darkness.
"Alright, there we go," a voice said, breaking through the silence. The door swung open, revealing a large man with massive muscles and spiked hair, followed by three much smaller figures. "Lock broken, security off."
"Yes sir," one of the smaller figures replied. "Orders?"
"Harry, you guard the door. Ken, Al, search for the device. I'll check the computer for codes, blueprints, stuff like that."
"Yes, Lt. Surge!" the three replied in unison, quickly scrambling to follow their orders. Surge went over to what looked like the main research computer, plugging in the hack device one of Team Rocket's best scientists had built just weeks earlier. It quickly bypassed all security in the computer, hacking the passwords and finally copying the harddrive contents to a disk in the hacking tool.
"Sir, we found what we're here for," Al reported, coming back from a side room. Ken was following him, carrying a small, black box.
"Excellent, let's get out of here," Surge replied, turning around. Harry shook his head furiously, pointing at the door. THere was movement outside, and a man in a very tight labcoat entered before Surge had time to react.
"Hey!" the man yelled. "Who are you?"
"Um, Bob?" Surge replied, giving the man a grin and a shrug.
"I'm professor Birch, and this is my lab!" the man told him, reaching for a Pokéball. Surge was much faster, having his Raichu out before Birch could even reach the ball with his hand.
"Oh no, you don't," Surge told him. Raichu's tail shot out, slashing across Birch's hand. The professor staggered back, gasping in pain. A thundershock followed, knocking him out. Surge carefully stepped over the unconcious body.
"What a bother," he muttered in an annoyed voice.
"The helicopter is here, sir!" Harry shouted from outside.
"Very good," Surge told him. "When we get back, check with Red if he has some new orders. If not, take the weekend off."
"Yes sir!" Al replied happily. "Thank you, sir!"
Surge smiled. Being a leader was easier than it seemed, which was something Red would hopefully figure out soon. Just give a little, and you recieve so much back. Giving bonuses was much better for morale than Red's talk about eliminations. With that thought, he stepped into the helicopter and fell asleep while it carried him back to base.