and one to grow on

Congratulations on regaining your post, Mr.DEREK HOFFMAN.

"Mr. Hoffman." The Captain greets in return, a single arm unfolding from behind his back to tip his cap at the other man. "Things have... been. Regardless, Congrats on regaining yer post. Lookin' forward to working together from 'ere on out."

The youth's much act proves much stiffer now than several months back when they first met at the HsT. Maybe the uniform makes the man- or perhaps its the several soldiers behind him.

The entire group has stepped out of a veritable caravan of military vehicles, a particularly large, boxy one at the center of the group.

From within it, Derek can surely see a group of soldiers working to bring out the machine his gym is to carefully guard.

In response to his words, Doug offers but a small quirk of his lips and short snort.

"Just bear with it for now. With any luck, we won't need to use them." The young man said noncommittally.

At the other's joking question, one of the soldiers approached following the Captain, a young blonde woman holding a gift basked in her hands.

"Thank you, Sergeant." Doug mutters as he grabs the gift from her, holding it out towards the other man. "'fraid I couldn't manage anything fancy on the short notice I was given... apologies."

Hopefully the newly reinstated Gym Leader enjoyed a drink- otherwise that was wasted alcohol.

As they stepped inside the Gym with the soldiers dragging the machine inside, the youth spoke yet again.

"Just tell us where to put it." He said.

and one to grow on

Congratulations on regaining your post, Mr.DEREK HOFFMAN.

"Maybe I could make time for at least a glass..." The Captain said with a hum, though a cough from the sergeant besides him made him sigh. "Right... Definitely making time for that glass. You should join us sergeant, sergeant."

The blonde gave the youth a twitchy eyed look, before she sighed as well.

"I would rather just watch, Captain." She said as they all fell in line behind Derek, following him deeper into the gym.

"That's fine too." Doug said whilst tilting his head, looking around the gym before his sight finally fell upon the... Beldum scanner.

What's that all about?

As the door opened and they were allowed deeper into the Gym's chambers, they suddenly found themselves inside what he could only call a control room- where a Metagross essentially served as Oracle.

The power of 4 super computer brains in one, he could only imagine.

"'Ey, that's pretty brilliant." Doug said as he watched the security system, approaching the somewhat familiar Metagross while gesturing to the rest of the soldiers. "You heard the man- put it right'ere."

The security system was somewhat reminscient to him of his own Multi-Orbeetle-powered surveillance...

"Great minds." He said with a cheeky snort as he turned towards Derek. "The engineers will give ya the rundown on how to operate it. That aside, is this the same big guy as back then?"

Screw the Genocide Kit; priorities here.

and one to grow on

Congratulations on regaining your post, Mr.DEREK HOFFMAN.

"Hear! Hear!" Doug chanted with an amused grimace, knocking his glass against Derek's before throwing the drink down his gullet like a shot, causing his sergeant to cringe.

"Um, Captain..." She began to say, falling silent as the boy raised up a finger and continued to gulp his drink, before finally swallowing the whole thing. "... Never mind."

He simply grinned at her, shrugging his shoulders. Sure, he had been trying to give up on alcohol entirely after the mess he had made of himself at FERNANDO SILPH's post-catastrophe dinner, but Hoenn had a way of dragging the youth back to the damn poison kicking and screaming.

Or rather, smiling and drooling.

At Derek's rather bold question, Doug awkwardly side-eyed his gasping sergeant, the woman paling slightly at the question as if the thought that the machines could possibly not work had never come to her.

"Um... Let's just... Ugh- Hope it works as intended." Doug said with a carefully managed mask, his tone not quite as adept as his expression and conveying some of his disgust. "Better yet, with any luck, we won't even need to use 'em."

He and others would surely figure something out... condemning millions of lives just to save their own hides couldn't possibly be the answer.

"So!" Doug said as he turned back to Rasputin and the Eye of Sauron, looking over the several screens with open curiosity. "How's this little wonder work? Would love to have something like this in Mauville!"

The Orbeetles covered large swaths of ground, but it wasn't a perfect system just yet, as they communicated best amongst each other. Having visuals as well as a control tower to relay accurate positions would surely help things.