"Gabriel."
[break][break]
the voice pulls him from his work, eyes narrowing in a measure of confusion, before the screen shifts to display the face of a rotom.
[break][break]
"what is it, sam?"
[break][break]
"The subroutine I created to monitor the facility that houses our rare metals has picked up an anomaly."
[break][break]
strange, but worthy of a councilman's attention? not typically.
[break][break]
"what anomaly?"
[break][break]
"Shifting to the Rustboro Facility's CCTV. Camera 023."
[break][break]
the scene on his monitor shifts, a camera placed at the end of a hallway. he narrows his eyes to watch ana fell's approach to the door at the far end of the hall. from this angle her action seems routine, barely suspect. then, S.A.M. plays it again, the camera zooming in on the inside of the door just past the woman's shoulder.
[break][break]
a zoroark. one of the genetic mutations as a result of the distortions, if he had to guess.
[break][break]
he understands.
[break][break]
"Alerting Rustboro Secu-"
[break][break]
"no. save this CCTV footage and erase it. ensure no one enters that room. am i understood?"
[break][break]
"I understand."
[break][break]
gabriel pushes himself to his feet and places, with minor difficulty at this point, his blazer back on. he alerts Summer at the front desk of his temporary departure, before releasing an arcanine into the room. its massive form stood out even next to gabriel.
[break][break]
placing a hand on the canine, he TELEPORTS to the city of rustboro.
[break][break]
this would require his personal attention.

[attr="class","notes"]ana fell[break]

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

It was a storage room, mostly, with a few offshoot hallways that led to tech labs or chem labs. There were fume hoods attached to the walls and sinks interspersed here and there with little white caps signifying they produced deionized water. Crates of mechanical components, some so fine they fit in the palm of her hand, lined the metal shelves.

She released her Dusknoir, stepping over to a crate and unsnapping the latch. “Get to work.”

They did, with her two Ghost-types able to get into locked boxes and crates, gathering components and retreating back to Cyg to store them safely in her super extra padded backpack.

Her heartbeat was rapid in her ears and adrenaline made her blood sing. She wanted a Genesect more than she’d wanted anything in her life, ever, and as an impoverished child, that was fucking saying something.

So when she brought all these shiny pieces back to oscar clayton, wouldn’t he just sing.

If everything went to plan no one would be the wiser. If everything went to plan she’d make off with thousands of dollars of tech.

Cyg may not have been a genius, but she was far from an idiot. She had that Disaster Duo trait running a purple streak in her blood. Nothing ever went right for them, her or Isaac Merlo, except, on the off chance, each other. So that meant someone was coming. She’d planned for it-- hell, she counted on it.

She just was unaware of the caliber of response that was about to point in her direction with the safety off.

GABRIEL BLACK

☉

gabriel appears in the middle of rustoboro facility, immediately inciting a threatening response. they stand down immediately, eyes wide, when they note the rather impressive size of their visitor, recognizing him.
[break][break]
"impressive response," he compliments casually, removing his hand from the arcanine's back, "continue as you were. make no log of my presence here." with that he makes his way down the hall quietly.
[break][break]
ana fell has chosen well, for her part. this facility was rarely used and its staffing reflected that. it was unfortunate for her, that gabriel's rotom had been testing a sub-routine designed to detect intruders. he'd have to implement this league-wide, after working out a few bugs.[break][break]

but, back to business, as they say.
[break][break]
"the door," he instructs his rotom, who unlocks it easily. pushing the handle, gabriel and arcanine step in.

[break][break]

[attr="class","notes"]ana fell[break]

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

The bag is getting heavy and Cyg’s been running the numbers in her head. She’s already surpassed an astronomical amount of pilfered goods. But every time she secures another component, she wants another, and another, and another.

This needs to go right. She needs to be perfect.

But her time has run out.

Seconds before she hears the door lock engage, she’s reached for the zipper. Seconds before the handle depresses, she’s got the bag halfway closed.

He hasn’t seen her, yet. Well, not physically. There’s still rows and rows of shelving and tech between the door and her. But the air in the room changes, his footsteps echo threateningly in the silence.

Cyg exhales measuredly out her mouth, pulling up her cowl mask and slowly sliding the zipper closed. She turns the bag around and pushes it towards Eulalia, who takes it and goes intangible, disappearing in a blur of lavender smoke to dissolve into the shadows at the back of the facility.

Zen hovers near her, single eye raised in a question.

Cyg’s chest is so tight she can barely breathe, but she forces herself to remain calm. She nods.

They’ll make whoever it is come to them.

GABRIEL BLACK

☉

his arcanine has little to work with, not truly having the scent of the woman beforehand. however, it could clearly smell the presence of an individual vividly. so, unless they've teleported out...
[break][break]
"hm."
[break][break]
without a manifest he would be unable to determine what was missing. things here were valuable, but not entirely irreplaceable. it was the thought, however, that counted. the idea that someone could steal from this place was insult enough.
[break][break]
"come out," he says in an even tone, piercing gaze slowly appraising the large room, "or must i raise the alarm?"

[break][break]

[attr="class","notes"]ana fell[break]

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

“Alarm’s already been raised, big guy,” she says, muffled voice echoing around the expansive warehouse, lost in the tin of the rafters and long beams of fluorescent lights. “‘Else why would you be here?”

She could get out. If she stayed away from him, she could get out. The important thing was buying Eulalia time to escape with the stolen components.

Still. She can’t stay frozen in one place, like a rabbit out of room. She finds a break in the gear stacked on the shelves and scoots through, putting another layer of metal and tech between her and whoever’s had the misfortune of finding her. This place is a maze.

Who is the rodent and who is the cheese?

Who throws the lever to trigger the electric shocks?

Cyg counts the seconds. Thirty-two, thirty-three. The adrenaline sings in her veins.

GABRIEL BLACK

☉

he feels an iota of amusement, perhaps, even for just a moment, enjoying this game of cat and mouse.
[break][break]
but let not the mouse think it had the upper-hand.
[break][break]
"i'm here for much the same reason you are - i've found something interesting." the dog at his hip brushes past to stand a few feet in-front of the larger man. its hackles were raised, and a low, guttural growl vibrated through his throat.
[break][break]
"i simply wish to speak with you."

[break][break]

[attr="class","notes"]ana fell[break]

[attr="class","wizzcredit"]☉

“Speak, then. I can hear you.”

Her voice echoes around the high, empty space, and as soon as she’s spoken she bobs and weaves down aisles and through shelves, to throw him off the trail.

She had a feeling that he wouldn’t have come unprepared. Something in his repertoire would rely on senses other than sight to find her. A dog, a cat. A ghost. Something psychic. But she was moving on the electricity of adrenaline and fear in her veins, grin slightly manic.

Sixty, sixty-one, sixty-two.

GABRIEL BLACK

☉

This seemed like a trap. Smacked like one. Reeked of one. Cyg paused, momentarily, even though her instincts were screaming at her to keep going, keep going. She didn’t know who this dude was and why he wasn’t incinerating shit around her to try and stop her.

Very sus, as the kids today would say.

She made a mental tally of what she’d taken. Sure, it wasn’t, like, super secret tech, or anything like that. Not plated in gold or bearing multitudinous elicit secrets.

“Aw, it’s no fun if you don’t fight, my guy.”

Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t be an idiot. Don’t-- don’t-- don’t.

She stepped into the dim light at the far end of the warehouse. Mask up. Disguise on.

“Shoot.”

GABRIEL BLACK

☉

Her laughter is a snort echoing amongst the metal skeletons of shelves and computer pieces.

“Doing what?” she asks, more to indulge her curiosity than anything else. “Licking boots? Pretending to be a good guy but actually only serving yourself? No, thanks. I might be a criminal but at least I’m honest about it.”

She doesn’t really recognize him but she does think he looks familiar.

GABRIEL BLACK

☉