"Of course, ma'am," came the soft voice of Jillian Hernandez in response. She knew how to play nice with authority. Next to Lulu, the woman seemed slight, dainty, as if she'd melt away if she stepped out into the thickening rain. It had been a while since Jillian had been on a mission for Team Rocket. Most of the aggressive, violent missions were not for her - she didn't necessarily condemn fighting, but she hated getting her hands dirty. Washing bloodstains out of clothing was always a pain.[break][break]

Now, this particular mission? Diplomacy. She was good at stuff like that. Jillian didn't claim to have many skills, but she did know how to wrap people around her little finger. Weasel her way out of blame. It was how she'd escaped Johto after being accused of tax fraud, anyway. For the occasion, she'd chosen her most unassuming outfit possible: a long-sleeved purple dress, her hair done in gentle braids with flower pins. Standing next to her brooding, battle-hardened superior, Jillian definitely fit the role of "good cop". The woman checked her watch, noting the hour: 9:44 PM. It was time.[break][break]

"After you," Jillian said with a tight-lipped smile, feeling for Pollux and Phi's Pokéballs in the pockets of her dress. She followed Lulu, chancing a glance around at their surroundings - no people at the moment. Good. She pretended to fiddle with her nails nonchalantly as the Klefki worked the lock; within seconds, they were inside the building, striding through the long halls of the research department. Out of all the doors in the corridor, only one seemed to conceal activity. Pale fluorescent light and frustrated voices seeped out from the gap at the bottom of the door. Their destination.[break][break]

Jillian stopped by the door, looking at Lulu. She palmed Phi's Pokéball, ready to summon the Psychic-type if need be. "On your cue."[break][break]
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+ tagged for Lulu Flint

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The two women slipped into the room, Jillian's eyes narrowing as they adjusted to the harsh lighting of the lab. There was a poor soul tied up in a chair in the back - a haphazard job of chords and wires, but creative, nonetheless. Her gray eyes flicked to the other student who had popped out from behind a supply closet, brandishing a phone as if it were a gun. A grin spread across Jillian's face a Lulu's subtle cue.[break][break]

"You should have called before, sweetheart," crooned Jillian, stepping forward. She clicked the center of a Pokéball til it grew to full-size in her hand. She could see the look of confusion in the student's eyes - he was scared shitless when Lulu approached him, but now with Jillian, he eyed her warily, sizing her up. His Ivysaur stepped in front of him, growling fiercely, about as intimidating as a pissed-off Shih Tzu. In response, Jillian clicked the button and sent out her Meowstic. The small, feline-like Pokémon materialized on the tiled floor, locking eyes with the opposing Pokémon.[break][break]

Jillian pulled a stool out from under a nearby lab table and took a seat. "Here's what you're going to do," she said casually, folding her hands over her knees. As she spoke, Phi, the Meowstic, slowly lifted her ears, revealing two strange-looking eyes beneath the appendages. They began to glow and warp with psychic energy. "You're going to sit nicely in that cabinet until we're done, and then you're going to forget this ever happened." Phi's ears trembled as the energy she harnessed grew stronger. Jillian smiled at the student. "Capiche?"

[break][break]He opened his mouth to say something - but Phi was faster, unleashing a Psychic on the brave Ivysaur. She raised it off the ground, as the Grass-type squealed in pain, its eyes rolling up as Phi's attack dug into the folds of its brain. No doubt the attack had been super-effective. The Meowstic flung the Ivysaur into the student's torso, causing the young man to stumble back into the shelves of the supply cabinet. Jillian hopped to her feet. "Now, not a peep, OK?" she said, raising a finger to her lips and smiling down at the student. He stared up at her, nursing his fainted Ivysaur in his arms. Jillian shut the door and slid a stool against it, propping up the handle and thus locking it in place.[break][break]

He wasn't going anywhere.[break][break]

Phi hopped onto her shoulder. Trainer and Pokémon, they resembled each other in unnerving ways. She strode over to Lulu's side, her hands folded behind her back. "Outlier taken care of, for now," she said, motioning her head in direction of the locked supply cabinet. Her eyes flicked between the Grunt that had called them and the man restrained in the chair. "What's your call?" she asked her superior, looking at Lulu with a thoughtful expression. Jillian lifted another Pokéball, this one blue with red markings. Pollux, her Altaria. "I can put them to sleep, if need be."
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+ tagged for Lulu Flint . phi used psychic on enemy ivysaur!

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Jillian watched the situation unfold quietly, her bright grey eyes switching between Lulu and the tied-up student. A thought flitted across her mind - what were they studying that was so dangerous? Jillian had made it a habit to not ask many questions. You asked questions, you got answers, then you got roped into unpleasant shit. That was how stuff worked in these sorts of organizations. If ignorance was bliss, then deliberate ignorance was a survival method. She was in this whole Rocket stuff just for the money.[break][break]

And to let off the stress from working customer service during the day, too.[break][break]

Nevertheless... what were they studying? The question hung around her brain and bothered it more than it should have. She gave a curt nod at Lulu's request, eyes lingering on the woman's back as she left the room. Being left alone with the student might have made some wet-behind-the-ears Rocket grunts nervous, but Jillian reveled in it. Without her superior's presence, she didn't have to hide her mean streak anymore.[break][break]

Jillian crossed her arms, looking the first student right in the eyes. "Not the kind of extra-curricular work you were expecting, huh?" she said in a sad little voice to the young man.[break][break]

He ignored her mocking and switched gears immediately. The student strained against the wires binding him to the chair and frowned at Jillian. "Look, lady, this is- this is messed up. Like, seriously messed up." He licked his cracked, dry lips. "But if you let me go - well, we'll figure it out. I'm sure there's... there's a reason to all of this. It's just a misunderstanding, yeah?" Jillian nodded, feigning interest, goading him on. A flicker of hope gleamed in the young man's eyes.[break][break]

"It's all a misunderstanding. Of course," said Jillian, stepping closer. Phi still balanced on her shoulder, eying the student like a cat watching a moth hit a lamp. The young man nodded vigorously. "Yeah, a misunderstanding. It's all cool. We'll work it out."[break][break]

"Right," said Jillian. "Phi, Psybeam."[break][break]

The Meowstic diligently lifted her ears once again. Two beams of energy shot out from her eyes and connected with the student's forehead. Instantly, the man groaned in pain, writhing. His eyes rolled up into his skull and he shivered. Jillian quickly jostled Phi with a jerk of her shoulder. "Don't overdo it! We don't want to fry his brain," she snapped. The Meowstic quickly dropped the attack.[break][break]

The student was conscious, but fairly dazed. He slumped over, a thin line of blood seeping from his nose. Jillian quickly undid the knots keeping him tied to the chair. With help of the other Rocket grunt, who seemed to finally regain his marbles - he'd been sitting quietly in the corner since she and Lulu had showed up - they dragged the man over to the supply closet. "Grab me some of those wires," barked Jillian, shooing the grunt away. As she undid the makeshift lock from the closet door, she summoned her Altaria.[break][break]

Pollux materialized on the tile floor. He seemed unfazed by his surroundings and quickly got to what mattered the most: preening his wings.

[break][break]Jill opened the door, peering in at her first hostage - who still clutched his fainted Ivysaur like a teddy bear. "Got you some company," she said with a smile. Together with the Rocket scientist, she tied up the two students' hands and feet and shoved them into the tiny supply closet. Two pairs of eyes stared up at her, nervous and afraid.[break][break]

"Pollux, sing, please." Jillian waved her hand and the Altaria waddled up to the closet, slightly irritated that she'd interrupted his preening session for this. He began to sway side to side, letting out sad, warbling notes. Jillian stepped back, hands over her ears. "You might want to be careful," she said to the Rocket scientist next to her, who quickly imitated her pose.[break][break]

By the time the blue bird was through with his mournful song, the two students were fast asleep. Shutting the door and jamming it with the stool was simple enough. Jillian gave her Altaria a loving pat on the head. "You sit here. Make sure they don't wake up," she said to the Rocket scientist, barely looking at him as she exited the room, her two Pokémon in tow. At the door, Jillian looked back, a finger to her lips. "Not a peep."[break][break]

With that problem resolved, she shut off the room lights and stepped out into the dark corridor. She didn't intend on wandering too far, just far enough to see what Lulu was up to. Phi balanced on her shoulder; Pollux flew after them, silent on his cotton wings.

[break][break]Jillian strode to the end of the corridor, where it meet, perpendicularly, a larger hallway with stairs at both ends. The grunt watched both sides carefully, listening for any sounds of Lulu. A sharp shout from the western side made her jump back into the shadows - it seemed like angry, quarreling human voices. Did it come from the stairwell? From another room? Jillian held her breath, waiting for any indication that the noise meant trouble.


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+ tagged for Lulu Flint . jill watches from the shadows...

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