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[attr="class","skullbody"]Now this was a change of pace.[break][break]

The Howling had become Zev's establishment of choice for dropping secret intel, ever since its rebirth as a more Rocket-aligned hideout. Unaffiliated public spaces were too risky. The sub was never really his style. Isaac's own home was not nearly clandestine enough. If there was ever business to be discussed, it was at the Howling's backrooms.[break][break]

Yet now Isaac found himself back at Zev's apartment. There were only two possibilities for such a change. A, this was on the subject of Zev's personal life. Yeah. No. When Grumpigs flew, maybe. Even if Isaac did get a glimpse, it would be a meticulously polished fragment framed to show Isaac exactly what Zev wanted him to see. That only left Option B.[break][break]

This news was too secret for even the Howling.[break][break]

Maybe that was why Isaac brought bagels. If there was going to be something massive dropped on his head, he at least wanted Zev to be in a good mood for it. Also, he wasn't some freeloading mooch.[break][break]

"Hey Zev, hey Luna," he said, shooting grins at the trainer and Pokemon alike. He knew once his hands were empty, he'd be approached for the inevitable petting and fussing. At Zev's offer, he grinned a little. "Sure thing. Thanks, Zev."[break][break]

He didn't question why he was here. Zev Harcourt needed no prompting.

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Zev's eyes fell upon the paper bags in Isaac's arms, recognizing their logo: a bakery down the block that specialized in breakfasts. Fidough Fresh, it was called. "You can set that up on the dining table."[break][break]

Meanwhile, he fetched a second mug from the cupboards and poured coffee, still steaming hot, for Isaac. "There's creamer in the fridge if you want some," Zev said as he set the mug down on Isaac's side of the table.[break][break]

The hitman drank his coffee black, but Neffatari Nzingha liked hers sweet and creamy.[break][break]

After one more quick trek into the kitchen, he reemerged with a couple of paper plates. Then he took his own seat on the opposite side, sipping his coffee, feeling more awake and alert as the caffeine took hold of his senses. Still, Zev waited patiently, spreading plain cream cheese on a whole wheat bagel, until Isaac was settled in his chair before asking his question.[break][break]

"When you were on Mt. Pyre, did you fight an Avatar? Or witness one's power?"

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[attr="class","skullbody"]Isaac bounced from station to station like a well oiled machine. Drop the bagels on the kitchen table, give Luna some pets while his hands were free, take the offered mug, and load it with a level of creamer that Zev would've surely found disappointing. Bing, bang, boom, done. Now he hada nice, light coffee, an egg bagel with some bacon-bit spiked cream cheese, and an open ear towards what Zev had to say.[break][break]

The question of the day was avatars. Had Isaac faced any on Mt. Pyre? Frankly, his faceoff with Ashley Shepard was the most major conflict he had been a part of. Still, there were some encounters he could put a face on. "I encountered illeana reyes, an ex-Avatar. She still possessed some manner of healing power," Isaac started. "And if he counts, I was on the front lines against Father Winter himself. I opened a solid gap in his guard for Rocket to strike through. While I didn't fight him, I've also witnessed much of Cillian Quinn's power and connection with the shadows."[break][break]

A part of him wanted to mention how he won a battle of wills with an (admittedly worn down, and at high cost to himself) Melody Miro. However, he dared not give Zev even an inkling of what he had done for Eris.[break][break]

"But I haven't fought an Avatar, breaking out all their power, in a direct fight." His duel with Gavin was a fair spar. Father Winter was a man against an army. He and Illeana had come to an understanding. If Zev was looking to gauge Isaac's mettle, it had yet to be fully tested. It was there beneath the surface: raw, unformed, and bursting with potential. But it was not yet honed into a blade.[break][break]

Wasn't it a great thing, when one's vested interest was so perfectly moldable?

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They were the picture of an ordinary breakfast, Zev listening in silence as Isaac recounted his past experiences. It seemed that the younger man had not had many encounters — which was typical of most Rocket grunts. Zev did not need to mention that he himself hadn't faced off against an Avatar, not in three years of working alongside Team Rocket in Hoenn. The operation at Littleroot Town had been his first experience with them. Bearing witness had been enough; he understood the dangers they posed — and the advantages they promised, in the right hands.[break][break]

"I don't know how much Father Winter or the rest of the DRK Triad count as Avatars, so let's put them aside for now." Zev idly wiped cream cheese from the corner of his mouth with a paper napkin. "What do you think of their power? What you've witnessed, in any case."[break][break]

His line of questioning was the same used by Felix Gallagher just a few days ago. In this case, however, Zev did not need to ascertain Isaac's ability to read between the lines. Zev genuinely wished to know the boy's thoughts regarding Avatars.[break][break]

If he thought they should be stopped, or at least secured as allies.

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[attr="class","skullbody"]"It's a mixed bag. Varied as the Legendaries themselves are." It was so hard to make blanket statements about them. bryan delarosa couldn't be killed, no matter how much he wished to be. Cillian Quinn was treated by the shadows as if he was one of their own. Martín del Mar could . . . Arceus, what could Mars do, even?[break][break

"The only things they have in common are that they're weird shit most people - hell, most Pokemon - can never do." Pokemon could do a lot of crazy things, but it was usually kind of standardized. Moves. Abilities. Evolutions. There was a science to it. Legendaries weren't dangerous and revered because their rules were stronger. They were dangerous and revered because they broke the rules entirely.[break][break]

The biggest rule they broke was that they shared this power with humanity. "Oh, and that their power's borrowed from a source, instead of being their own," Isaac added. "At least, that's what I thought."[break][break]

"Did you know a primal crystal turned some of illeana reyes's Avatar powers back on?"

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Zev raised an eyebrow at that last comment. "I did not. How'd you know this?" he asked, genuinely curious. Had Isaac learned it from reports Zev hadn't read yet? Rumors spreading through the ranks of Rocket's grunts?[break][break]

Or even from the woman herself?[break][break]

Either way, Isaac had not answered Zev's question — not really. All the younger man had indicated is that he considered Avatar powers to be 'weird shit'.[break][break]

"Groudon devastated Littleroot at MATIAS SILPH's command," the assassin said, steering the course of the conversation where he wanted it to go. "They weren't the only cause of destruction, of course, but besides the DRK Triad and Dialga, it's safe to say Groudon and its Avatar were the biggest threats on that battlefield."[break][break]

Zev did not like to admit it, but it was an undeniable truth. All other reports from Littleroot said the same.

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[attr="class","skullbody"]"Heard it directly from the source." Unlike some of Isaac's other rendezvous, this was a strictly neutral meeting of the minds. There was little to no harm in sharing it. "She's an . . . interesting one. For a League head professor, she seems far more interested in her own ambitions than the party line. And those ambitions seem like more of a threat to herself than any of us."[break][break]

As much as illeana reyes scared him, he didn't want her in the line of fire. Perhaps such a dismissal would help.[break][break]

Still, this wasn't why Zev was here. From how he calmly reorganized his point, Isaac could tell he'd missed the question beneath the question. "If you were trying to ask me what to do about them, you could've just said so," he said, voice playful in the face of Zev's less direct than usual goading.[break][break]

"I think you're right. They're big threats, and they're playing by a rulebook the rest of us can only guess at. When you consider the human's abilities, their powerhouse backup, and the element of surprise, you're never gonna be fighting them on fair ground."[break][break]

"We're lucky to have our own. But it doesn't mean we can take the League's lightly. If it's gonna be us against them, we need to have other ways of handling them."

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So Isaac had spoken with illeana reyes herself. Zev filed that little note away in the back of his mind to address later. Whatever information Isaac had extracted from the Head Professor might be useful — either to Team Rocket or to Zev's own aims.[break][break]

Isaac's little tease earned him an irritated look from the older man. Zev did not interrupt, however, as the blonde continued to speak. Instead, Zev chewed thoughtfully on his bagel, tearing a small piece off to feed to Luna. She chowed down on the morsel, tail wagging.[break][break]

"We might have other ways," the hitman finally said, waking up his laptop with a finger on the trackpad. "I've been meeting with Admin Gallagher about a new program, focused on countering the League's Avatars."[break][break]

Holding his bagel between his teeth for a moment, Zev turned the computer around so that Isaac could read the screen. On it was a PowerPoint presentation Felix Gallagher had forwarded to Zev, a first draft to explain the concepts behind the initiative and its goals. The very first slide showed a logo with the letters S.P.E.C.T.R.A. surrounding it.[break][break]

"The Special Executive for Counterintelligence, Training, and Removal of Avatars," Zev explained.

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[attr="class","skullbody"]Counterintelligence, because knowledge is power. With how much Isaac stressed that the uncertain potential of Avatars was their most dangerous element, that word immediately had Isaac's interest piqued. If what a legendary was capable of became as common knowledge as what a Rattata could do, battling them may become far less difficult.[break][break]

Training, both of Rocket's own Avatars and of their rank-and-file's potential to counter them. Knowledge was fine and dandy, but theory was but one half of the equation. Practice was what really separated a dream from a plan, and it would take quite the specialized hand to face off against these mythical beasts.[break][break]

Removal. Strangely euphemistic for Zev, and yet Isaac immediately knew what he meant.[break][break]

For all his steadily-developing misgivings about Rocket, Isaac trusted the League even less. At best, they were grossly incompetent. At worst, they were self-serving to the point of maliciousness. The gods earned even less of his esteem, with special mention to the head llama in charge that seemed hellbent on reducing their region to rubble.[break][break]

If they were going to earn the ire of such powerful enemies, it was only right that they learn how to fight them.[break][break]

Isaac whistled, already impressed by this proposal. "Guess I was right back at the bar crawl. Zev Harcourt never sleeps," Isaac said, a cheeky grin on his face. "Though, damn. No wonder you've been scarce at the Howling, when you've been working on something as big as this. Even for us, this is ambitious."[break][break]

That "us" wasn't referring to Rocket in general. For all of Zev's facets, consummate professionalism was one of the few constants. He wasn't going to show work in progress Rocket plans to his favorite boy just to get feedback on them. No, no. If Zev was showing Isaac these plans, it was with intent. There was an offer beneath his words that Isaac couldn't refuse. And with his own barely-spoken agreement, Isaac had already signed the dotted line.[break][break]

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Zev shrugged, turning his laptop back around and resuming his breakfast. "If we're going to tear down the League, we need to be ready for everything they have," he replied.[break][break]

The assumption being, of course, that Isaac would follow whatever orders he gave to carry out that destruction.[break][break]

"I already gave your name to Gallagher, so he's aware of this meeting." Not that Zev needed permission from anyone else to involve Isaac in his plans. What was important, however, was the illusion of authority he granted the other high-ranking staff of Team Rocket.[break][break]

"I think you'd do well with the training part of the program — both participating in it and helping to build it up. With S.P.E.C.T.R.A. being an elite operation, we won't be able to accept just anyone into the ranks, so we'll need ways to sort out who makes the cut and who doesn't."[break][break]

Bitter coffee washed down the last of that first bagel. Zev reached into the paper bag for a second one: a cinnamon raisin bagel with honey walnut cream cheese.[break][break]

"You have a lot of friends among the other grunts, so I imagine you have some ideas of who might be a good fit."

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[attr="class","skullbody"]A part of Isaac was flattered that Zev recommended his name right off the bat. Another part of him was aware that the nature of their relationship made it an obvious choice. Was he a nepotism pick? Or was Zev just confident in his own handiwork? It was hard for Isaac to fully gauge Zev's reasonings, but that didn't matter. What mattered was the present.[break][break]

And in the present, Isaac needed to take Zev's role and put some names forward.[break][break]

"ana fell." Ladies and gentlemen, we have the most surprising choice in the universe! "And no, I'm not saying that for the obvious reasons. It's because she's crazy smart, and what those smarts can produce is gonna do wonders for getting a leg up on our enemies. If she can make us some proper legendary-countering gear, it'll save us a lot of time, stress, and heartache. With Naomi Sato on theory and Cyg on practice, that's it. We're set for life."[break][break]

Two recs already, albeit more specialized than what Zev may have been looking for. They'd also need some hands on deck to dish out the violence, and this was where Isaac found himself struggling. He wanted to protect his friends from getting deeper into Rocket's dirtier dealings, yet now he was being asked to coax them deeper.[break][break]

Maybe it'd be fine. A SPECTRA squad wasn't going to be wasted on general mayhem and havoc. They'd be deployed against avatars and legends, who were A) some of the most dangerous beings in Hoenn and B) almost always members of the League's most upper echelon. They weren't punching down! They were punching up! They were defending themselves in the face of insurmountable odds![break][break]

"Ashley Shepard is someone I'd trust with my life. Hell, I already have. He's always striving to prove himself, has a powerful team with close bonds at his disposal, and isn't the type to quit in the face of adversity." He was also someone who wanted to start shaping Rocket for the better, and a position like this would help him make his case.[break][break]

"Ruby Garcia has as strong a will as they come, and a team of tough bruisers to match. Strategy's not her strongest suit, but in a squad situation pointing her in the right direction can work wonders." She was also someone who had been hurt, badly. Being able to avenge herself against more proper targets may have done wonders for her.[break][break]

"And I know you tend to find me and my methods to be . . . soft. Gerald Kaiser couldn't be further from that. Even if he can be a little excessive at times, he's nothing if not decisive. He'd be a natural fit to send after hard cases." He also had a little sister who he adored and needed to provide for. He could use a well-earned pay bump.[break][break]

There. A solid, well developed list. Yet . . . it was missing a certain something, wasn't it? "He couldn't be further from a grunt, but if we're talking training, I gotta bring up Cillian Quinn. Half of what makes legendaries so terrifying is how much they can break the rules. Shadows do that too, and nobody's got access to more of them than Gavin. If we need to teach our personnel to expect the unexpected and prepare for the worst, a little bit of shadow boxing can pay off big time."[break][break]

"That's what I've got for now. But if you want me to go on missions with some of Rocket's new recruits, I can scope them out for you. Maybe even give 'em a test to see what they've got."

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The mention of ana fell was not unexpected considering her relationship with Isaac, but it did surprise Zev. He did not know much about the woman except what was on her file in the Team Rocket member database. Admittedly, she did have a license as an electrician, but that was no indication of how 'crazy smart' she was.[break][break]

Still, Zev opened a Notepad file on his laptop and typed out her name.[break][break]

Naomi Sato was an interesting suggestion, too. She was Lulu Flint's rising star, having proven effective and trustworthy during the METENO operation. Not only that, but the Beast had heard Nomi was working on new technology using the mineral shards obtained from the meteoroid. He wrote her name down beneath Cygne's.[break][break]

"Sawyer has approached me to help him with some training," Zev revealed, not sure if Ashley had revealed as much to Isaac. The two men were close friends, at least from what Zev had observed. "I'll judge him for myself and bring up the topic if I deem him a good fit for S.P.E.C.T.R.A."[break][break]

After all, Zev had not witnessed Ashley in action yet. It was premature to agree with Isaac's recommendation.[break][break]

The next two names were unknown to Zev. While he took a moment to chew on his bagel, he made a mental note to read both grunts' files. As with Ashley Shepard, Zev wanted to meet and assess Ruby Garcia's and Gerald Kaiser's qualities for himself. Perhaps he could assign them to missions that could act as tests for S.P.E.C.T.R.A. compatibility.[break][break]

"If Gavin isn't aware of our efforts, he will be soon," Zev told Isaac. THEO BECKETT was actually the Underboss with expressed interest in the project, but Zev did not doubt it would attract the curiosity and support of the others. It wasn't like Felix was being secretive about the endeavor.[break][break]

Isaac's offer to go on jobs with the newest of Team Rocket's recruits earned him a nod from Zev. "Do that. See if they have potential or if there's anything of immediate use."[break][break]

Sometimes metal had to be shaped into a knife first, but sometimes the knives came ready made and pre-sharpened.

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[attr="class","skullbody"]Oh, Arceus. Ashley Shepard was getting Zev'd.[break][break]

The man had a gentle heart and a caring soul. He held his bonds close and wore his heart, however damaged and traumatized it was, on his sleeve. The last thing Isaac wanted was for him to lose all of that to become another blade in Zev's collection. Still, if he could hold onto himself, maybe Ash could, too. Both of them were stubborn. Both of them were determined. Both of them wanted to leave this organization in a better shape than it was when they found it.[break][break]

And both of them had acute, painful reminders of what happened when they lost control.[break][break]

Still, Ashley's name didn't get put down right away. If anything, Isaac's suggestions on the brain trust got Zev's immediate attention more than any of his more combat-focused recommendations. There were no protests, so Isaac knew he hadn't made any errors. It was likely the kind of thing subject would require further investigation.[break][break]

As for Cillian Quinn? That ball would be in his court. Isaac could only hope he'd step up to the plate. If there was any underboss he felt like he could confide in, it was him.[break][break]

"Alright. I'll be sure to go scouting," Isaac said. "If you've got anyone you're too busy to check up on, or want me to take the lead on, feel free to pass me some names." Isaac knew Zev preferred hands on efforts, but he also knew the man was busy as all hell. Besides, this would be as much of a test for his protegee as it was for other Spectra's potentials.[break][break]

And if anything, he knew Zev would already have his eye on several prizes.

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