MARCH UPDATE

POSTED ON Jul 5, 2024 17:15:20 GMT

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"I hear you can hack," Ameena said with no preamble. She hadn't seen this one around before, but she often interacted with hackers within her own company, Abundance Connections, and had little connection to external parties. "I was hoping to borrow you for a security test on my own systems." Some after hours activities shared among her internal cybersecurity team had left their manager no choice but to let them go, which meant her systems still needed testing in the meantime. [break][break]

"I am Ameena Abadi. You are Missingno., right?" As she spoke, her Rotom companion began to edge closer, making some of her hair strands stand on end. She clicked her tongue at it without turning her attention away from the grunt before her which had him back off a few feet.

TAGS – Mark Cunningham [break]

NOTES – bond bridge[break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"] levitate | Discharge, Double Team, Ominous Wind, Thunder Shock

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played by

teal

MissingNo.

He/Him

March 03

Viridian City

Bisexual

Hacker

Grunt

5'08" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

65 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mark

POSTED ON Jul 6, 2024 23:04:41 GMT

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[attr="class","mark-inner"]"That's right," Mark confirmed, acknowledging the scientist in front of him.

This request was different from the usual Team Rocket assignments. Although he was used to being pressured into various tasks as a grunt, this job felt more personal. Consequently, Mark felt justified in asking for payment. There was no need to adhere to strict protocols, allowing him to approach the task with greater freedom.

"How much are you offering?" he inquired.

As he spoke, the eerie static aura presented by the electric-type attracted one of Mark's pokemon. A Rotom, similar to the scientist's, emerged from behind his shoulder, its curiosity piqued by the presence of another of its kind.

00 • Levitate • Thunder Shock | Charge | Thunder Wave | Confuse Ray | Trick | Discharge

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played by

Ghostfinch

she/her

june 8

pansexual

scientist

grunt

5'11 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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932 posts

DOLLARS

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TAG WITH @ameena

POSTED ON Jul 8, 2024 15:04:25 GMT

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[attr="class","ameena"]

[attr="class","body"]

Asking about compensation before knowing the full scope of the job signaled that he was either very good or very new. She was willing to take the gamble, though. "I have no shortage of resources for competence. But you have to be willing to accept a condition." While they were both members of the same organization, loyalty to the brass was far more important than loyalty to another Rocket. It meant she had to be a little careful about her hired help. [break][break]

"You will need to agree to an NDA." Not totally unusual for a white hat hacker. "And if you find any sort of connection between the company's servers and my personal servers, you must alert me immediately." Her face was completely stoic despite her own Rotom's pleased buzzing at the hacker's. Rotom tended to disrupt any momentum or serious atmosphere she crafted, but she needed to walk it around so it wasn't so high-charged it possessed everything in her laboratory the minute she released it. [break][break]

"There is research there that cannot be made public in any circumstances. The release of some of it would bring punishment from our admins and underbosses. I hope you understand just how vital it is that that never happens." If her dream research about the higher-ups was ever released, she would be killed instantly, she was sure of it. Or, perhaps they would take their time.

TAGS – Mark Cunningham [break]

NOTES – bond bridge[break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"] levitate | Discharge, Double Team, Ominous Wind, Thunder Shock

[attr="class","credit"]

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teal

MissingNo.

He/Him

March 03

Viridian City

Bisexual

Hacker

Grunt

5'08" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

65 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mark

POSTED ON Jul 8, 2024 17:11:57 GMT

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[attr="class","mark-inner"]As the scientist continued to explain, Mark spun back around in his chair, facing his monitor. His fingers danced across the keyboard, seemingly ignoring everything she was saying to him. Once he found what he was looking for, he leaned back in his chair. As Ameena finished outlining her warnings and requirements, Mark grabbed his soft drink from the desk and brought the straw to his lips. He noisily sucked out the last remnants, creating an obnoxious vacuum noise that would irritate anyone trying to have a conversation.

"Abundance Connections, right?" he asked once she was done speaking, his eyes still fixed on the monitor. He took another slurp from the straw before placing the cup down. Leaning back in his chair, he interlocked his fingers behind his head, using them as a makeshift pillow.

"So, you want me to look for leaks?" he inquired, while his rotom hovered nearby, still curious and attentive.

[attr="class","mark-status"]

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played by

Ghostfinch

she/her

june 8

pansexual

scientist

grunt

5'11 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

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DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @ameena

POSTED ON Jul 8, 2024 17:28:11 GMT

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[attr="class","ameena"]

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As much as she was feeling him out, she got the distinct impression he was doing the same. She did her best not to grimace at the sipping noises. "Yes," she finally confirmed once she knew she could speak evenly, "my own cybersecurity team has been cut to minimal parties given some... unacceptable extracurricular activities. If you can try to break in and find a weak point, I can prioritize sealing it." [break][break]

It was boring work, which was why she did next to know technological processes herself. It being an information technology company had more to do with convenience than her own strengths, though the ability to purchase so much processing power and computational equipment was a huge benefit for her personal laboratory. [break][break]

"If you can manage it, and you find the work interesting, I prefer to hire Rockets for my business if they can avoid ruining their public persona." Hers in particular was difficult to manage. It worked that taking vacations in public suited a CEO, just as hiding from the public for sustained periods did, but her Rocket work was becoming more and more visible, these days...

TAGS – Mark Cunningham [break]

NOTES – bond bridge[break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"] levitate | Discharge, Double Team, Ominous Wind, Thunder Shock

[attr="class","credit"]

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played by

teal

MissingNo.

He/Him

March 03

Viridian City

Bisexual

Hacker

Grunt

5'08" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

65 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mark

POSTED ON Jul 9, 2024 18:02:55 GMT

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[attr="class","mark-inner"]Mark had little patience for corporate jargon, seeing it as either a weakness to exploit or a puzzle to crack. His technically-focused mind often viewed such people as an obstacle to bypass, and he might have hacked through her company just for the thrill if not for the promise of payment. With money on the line, he was willing to play along, at least to some extent. He understood the value of having powerful allies, even if he had no desire to befriend a corporate leader.

Once the scientist answered his question, Mark's fingers resumed their rapid dance across the keyboard. Despite his apparent disregard for her explanation, his attention remained fixed on his monitor. His Rotom hovered closer, its static aura causing the hair on the back of his neck to rise slightly. Mark's keystrokes halted before the scientist could finish her explanation.

"Is this what you mean?" he asked, turning the monitor towards Ameena. The screen displayed various patents and blueprints spread across multiple windows. Many of them were redacted, with certain text obscured by black bars, but enough details remained to hint at some kind of dream-related technology. Although this wasn't the worst-case scenario, Mark had uncovered it in mere seconds.

"Looks like you've got a mole," he said, shifting the monitor back to its original position.

[attr="class","mark-status"]

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played by

Ghostfinch

she/her

june 8

pansexual

scientist

grunt

5'11 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @ameena

POSTED ON Jul 9, 2024 18:27:55 GMT

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[attr="class","ameena"]

[attr="class","body"]

Her breath catches in her throat when he prompts her to look at the screen. [break][break]

Heads are going to roll. For now, though, it is clear that her people have been seeking external funds. She can't imagine there are a lot of buyers for dream research, but it could be a ploy for blackmail material. No researcher wants their information publicized before its ready, especially if they lose credit for it - but in her case, specifically, this raw data is too telling. It risks revealing sensitive information about Rocket administrators. [break][break]

When she trusts she can speak evenly, she asks, "Can you track the source?" Then: "Whatever you can do to close it... I will have to flay my team for this misstep." Too much carrot and not enough stick, she assessed. She would need to stick to Rocket employees only for security on Rocket matters. No one else had the specific understanding of how much there was to gain and lose in working with such an organization. [break][break]

She clicked her tongue with dissatisfaction at how easily he had pulled this thread. He was good, no doubt, but she was more worried about how poorly her own had been performing. "I can route fifty your way for finding the rat. I have extermination handled." She pushed her Rotom away sharply as it sought to get closer to the screen. "And much more if you are willing to stress-test my next team." Or join it, though she feared this display of incompetence might warn him away from her company.

TAGS – Mark Cunningham [break]

NOTES – bond bridge[break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"] levitate | Discharge, Double Team, Ominous Wind, Thunder Shock

[attr="class","credit"]

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played by

teal

MissingNo.

He/Him

March 03

Viridian City

Bisexual

Hacker

Grunt

5'08" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

65 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mark

POSTED ON Jul 11, 2024 15:01:59 GMT

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[attr="class","mark-inner"]Mark's fingers danced over the keyboard, pausing briefly to lift his empty cup to his lips and pretend to sip. He set the cup down and resumed his digital assault.

"Fortunately for you, your mole seems like a nobody," Mark said, continuing to type until his discovery appeared on the screen. He turned the monitor towards Ameena, displaying a series of images captured by security cameras. Some were blurry, but others clearly showed a man in uniform, potentially a guard or janitor.

Returning the monitor to its original position, Mark continued, "This guy doesn't seem to know what he has, which means he doesn't know how to sell it." He clarified, "I'm not sure if he's had any buyers, but what you saw is definitely on the net." With swift keystrokes, Mark scrubbed the pages of classified documents, infiltrating a few accessible servers and erasing the man's digital footprint in mere seconds.

"Now it's not," he said, leaving Ameena to handle the physical side of things.

Turning his chair to face her fully, Mark offered his undivided attention. "You don't need to pay me," he said, leaning back into a relaxed posture. "But I am interested in your work." His mind raced with the potential applications of dream technology, particularly how it could intersect with the Seal Stone and the RKS simulation.

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played by

Ghostfinch

she/her

june 8

pansexual

scientist

grunt

5'11 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

932 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @ameena

POSTED ON Jul 11, 2024 15:11:24 GMT

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[attr="class","ameena"]

[attr="class","body"]

Hmm. It seemed she should not have left the excessive vetting service to only tech employees. Clearly, the support staff like cleaners as himself were in need of a thorough background check. It left her wondering if she needed to up the surveillance - which felt like a waste of resources - or employ more pokemon to monitor the site. [break][break]

In any case, the problem at hand was mostly solved with Mark's quick help. She would only have the extermination left. [break][break]

"I insist on payment," she assured, "and no need to flatter me. But if you are really interested, I would be happy to put you down for a sleep study." She preferred willing volunteers over the ones abducted, but with the coming war, it would be easy to do so without risking a lot of heat. "You could see how my Porygon manages the dream data, if that is what interests you. I like to share." She preferred to have fellow Rockets involved for preventing this kind of leak scenario, among other reasons. [break][break]

"I appreciate your work today. Please do reach out if you ever need my assistance." She couldn't say if he would need research assistance, combat aid, or the financial support of a CEO first, but she owed him, so anything he needed would be his.

TAGS – Mark Cunningham [break]

NOTES – bond bridge[break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"] levitate | Discharge, Double Team, Ominous Wind, Thunder Shock

[attr="class","credit"]

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played by

teal

MissingNo.

He/Him

March 03

Viridian City

Bisexual

Hacker

Grunt

5'08" height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

awards

65 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @mark

POSTED ON Jul 11, 2024 18:50:29 GMT

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[attr="class","mark-inner"]Mark responded to Ameena's offer with a subtle grin. While he wasn't naturally sociable, he valued connections in high places. Her offer presented more opportunities than any payment could, and he was genuinely intrigued by her dream data.

"Sign me up," he agreed, committing to a future sleep study underneath her supervision.

"It was a pleasure working with you," he added, settling back into his chair with a relaxed grin. He leaned back, using his palms as makeshift pillows, and began to whistle a soft tune as Ameena departed. His Rotom hovered nearby, its static aura pulsating in sync with Mark's whistle.