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Post by Marche on May 5, 2011 6:38:23 GMT -5
Dan rode with Ann back towards Vermilion, pointing down towards a small bakery. It was on the waters edge and thankfully enclosed and open still. It was a simple, white building with ivy along the roof, the sign just reading 'Bakery' in cursive font.
"Don't worry, I'll pay for all of this. It's the least I can do"
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Post by wardnpendragn on May 7, 2011 13:17:20 GMT -5
Ann coasted the Salamence to land a short way from the bakery, returning it to its ball afterward to give it a rest. She gave Dan a faint smile, walking to and heading inside the bakery with him. "I'll take you up on the offer, this time."
She ordered a few sweet bread treats and sat with him once he had his own treat in hand.
"...I didn't mean to sound short with you. It was a long day. Training didn't go as I'd planned it, and a few hotshot trainers from a different region wore on my nerves." She'd motioned lightly to the grime and dirt still cakes in patches to her casual clothing, glad that it had been her training cloths and not anything more fragile. Then, offering another small smile, she said, "But that's all over. Now why don't you tell me a little about this experiment you're doing?"
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Post by Marche on May 7, 2011 14:29:26 GMT -5
"Sure. Just let me get a scone"
Once a scone was had, Dan sat in the chair and began to explain, taking a bite after about every major bulletpoint
"I am making a very special something for personal use. It is an armored flight suit that would allow me to basically fly. I could traverse long distances without having to wear out my Pokemon or have to have my Salamance with me all the time. He is one Hell of a fighter, but he won't be there all the time. And sometimes I'd like to try flying with him"
"Anyways, it gains lift using a special invention called a 'Float Unit'. It is a pair of hard-light wings that can be used to achieve thrust and forward motion with more accuracy and less noise and heat than a standard rocket. It won't burn my legs, either, and is stylish as all get out"
"However, much like all fashion, it is highly impractical due to its energy requirements. I could barely keep the thing on for testing at the base without causing a breaker to explode, or worse. So, I had to make some other energy source to keep it going. Tus, the idea of the Lightning Diamond. I had heard on the grapevine that the coal from Chargestone cave could carry a very powerful electric and magnetic current. If the coal can, a diamond would as well"
"So, I went to work trying to make one. I couldn't at the base, so I tried at the station. If this works, it could be a breakthrough in science. Imagine just three diamonds powering the generator instead of gallons of oil or fields of wind-turbines. I want to see it happen, and this seemed like the best bet"
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Post by wardnpendragn on May 11, 2011 14:59:28 GMT -5
Ann stared at him a moment, expression kept neutral.
It was an interesting idea, and she was glad to know he really had done some testing. He was right, too, that if it worked, it could mean a breakthrough technology for many things; but he wasn't doing this for science, and it annoyed her that he kept claiming that. No, this 'Float Unit' project was only for himself, not even the Rocket organization as a whole--she had no doubt the leader would have given him better resources if he or she supported it, or heck, at least a small team to attack the Plant, as they had with anything large-scale where force might be necessary. Even a small problem could have caused serious damage to him or the Plant with nothing to show for it.
She also had the sneaking suspicion this was less for 'science' than the appeal of a wing suit to feed Dan's superhero complex.
Finally, she asked, "..Why didn't you just use the electric pokemon you've stolen to power it? Eight or so Pikachu can power a generator on their own; I imagine you have access to more powerful species than that. Wouldn't your boss have okay'd a sturdy room covered in rubbed insulation, along with a few good team mates could stop them if things got out of hand?"
She paused to finish off her snack, continuing a moment after. "...I just think you had access to other means than the Power Plant. And you could have just asked to borrow Captain, too, you know. In emergencies I assign him to help power emergency generators; he'd be used to it."
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Post by Marche on May 11, 2011 16:02:00 GMT -5
"Yes, I probably did have other means. I probably could have asked some team-mates to help me charge the pressure device or just had Electrive and a few others power it. That all probably would have worked out just fine"
Dan sighed as he rubbed his temples, leaning in against the table. To be honest, he looked a bit like a wreck as he looked back up to Ann. He wasn't as clean shaven as usual, nor was his suit as pressed as it normally was.
"I just wanted to do this one on my own. I wanted to do something that was mine, something that I could feel good about on my own. There's just been... something eating away at me for a while now. I don't think it's guilt, if that's what you're thinking, but I just can't find the joy in just about anything anymore. Not in training or in my team or in missions. I don't have that drive to go out and capture other people's Pokemon because I'm... different than them"
Dan rubbed the back of his neck as he looked back to Ann, looking at her through the dark circles under his eyes.
"You must think I'm an asshole for saying that this is for the general progression of science. You're probably right. I'm probably doing this so that I can continue a quest for something I can never find and never be. Well, I just don't know what I can do about that. I guess I can say I'm sorry, but it wouldn't be appropriate when I'm going to have to say it again in about 30 seconds"
The lights in the bakery gave a flicker before beginning to glow brighter than usual, the hum of electricity filling the air as Dan sat there, hands crossed under his nose. He seemed surprisingly calm as the street lamps outside gave a similar effect, glowing brighter as he explained
"I wouldn't have left Scizor there out of his Pokeball if I wasn't positive that he could remove the limiters on the Generator without me being there. Don't worry, it'll be over soon. I can say I'm sorry, and you can have a perfectly fine reason to hate me"
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Post by wardnpendragn on May 12, 2011 17:26:40 GMT -5
Ann watched him closely as he explained, honestly worried about what he'd almost done. She wasn't overly concerned about his lack of sleep; he was the type to get carried away, and caught up in projects that interested him. As soon as there was a lull, he would take the break and get the rest he needed, nothing she could've told him would change that aspect of him. But his attempt on the plant on his own... that was outrightly dangerous. More than any consequences to the city, if his body had chosen then of all times to remind him how much he needed sleep, Dan could have gotten himself killed.
She had opened her mouth to comment ("Wouldn't building your own massive generator have sufficed?") but narrowed her eyes questioningly as he continued. When the lights began to buzz and hum with excess watts, a wave of harsh emotion hit her, and she was on her feet and pulling him by the collar before she even planned the act. A mix of outrage and disappointment lodged in her throat, tho it was too new to know whom it was aimed at. She shook him as she tried to express it.
"You- You- How could-"
As the lights continued to hum a moment, glowing ever brighter and blowing one of the ceiling lights, she resigned herself. Hand tight on his collar, she dropped her head, and with a forced sigh, she released him. As a final act on his person, she threw a hard punch to his face and sat, crossing her fingers in front of her. She didn't look at him, even to see how much or how little the blow had affected him.
She knew there wasn't a way to reach the Plant now if anything went wrong. Any damage was done. In a frosty tone she finally murmured, "You had better hope that you get your precious diamond out of this. If you don't, you'll leave in handcuffs."
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Post by Marche on May 12, 2011 18:07:05 GMT -5
Dan didn't speak, didn't react. He took the blow to the face without even raising his arms as he stayed on the floor for a moment, propping himself up a little more as he waited, as they all did. Ten seconds passed. Then twenty. He knew it would only take 30. Anything beyond that, the risk of a blackout was too high.
Thirty seconds passed. There was a pause, and then the hum began to dim, returning to normal as Dan began to stand up, looking up to the lights and waiting. There was always the fear that the bottom would drop out of the system after the overclock, but it never happened. There was no blackout as Dan drew out his wallet, dropping a few bills at the counter as the clerk brought out a bag of frozen peas. Giving thanks, he took them and held them against the side of his face.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry it had to be this way. You... suffer, so much to put up with me and the crap I do, and all I do is constantly take a dump on any trust we share. God damn it, it's unfair to you"
Dan rolled the peas around for a moment as he sighed, looking away from the look of anger and disappointment he knew she would radiate. It pained him enough to know that he upset his only friend outside of work, and having to see it only made it worse. He repeated that he was sorry again before adding
"And it was a good punch, for what it's worth"
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Post by wardnpendragn on May 19, 2011 18:46:39 GMT -5
Ann gave a short huff at the response, still not looking at him. She was thankful when the lights returned to normal, but that didn't mean that no harm had been done.
"Don't be over dramatic," she said finally, a disinterest in her tone. There would still be repercussions to this, even if it hadn't yet become a worst case scenario. She had still answered the alarm; it had been hacked while under her watch, leaving a huge amount of power stolen, and an object created that had the potential to make her job and the lives of her subordinates much more difficult.
She continued in the same low tone of voice, almost sounding bored, though it was because of the drained, heavy weight she imagined on her shoulders. She had simply lost the desire to chase him for now. "You've done what you wanted. Get the hell out of here unless you want a battle to decide where you sleep tonight."
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Post by Marche on May 19, 2011 20:14:59 GMT -5
Dan nodded, not protesting any more. He was thankful for her help, and he wouldn't impede on her any more. He walked out of the diner, kicking a rock and sighing. Well, this night ended a lot worse than he thought it was going to be. It all worked out, but he was upset that it had to happen like... this. Dan thought that if he smoked, this would be a good night to do it. He didn't, so no point in pretending. He gave a sad look back to Ann before mounting his Salamance and flying back to the Plant. He had a quick pick up to do, then it was time to go home and stay there for a while.
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Post by wardnpendragn on May 19, 2011 21:12:06 GMT -5
When her... friend? Enemy? ....When Dan was out of sight, she gave a full-bodied sigh, sinking low in her seat and rubbing at her temples with a slightly sticky hand, unconcerned for a little crumb and sugar stuck to her face amidst the dirt and dried sweat.
She knew that she should have stopped him, battled him or at least laid him out on the bakery's tile, and then taken him to the station. And definitely gone after the diamond, if the experiment had even worked. But... There was something about that man. Something that kept her from capturing him. She wasn't sure what it was, exactly, anymore.
Whatever it was, Dan had been only half right: neither of them deserved each other. A Rocket and a Police Officer made lousy friends, plain and simple.
With another sigh, she stood, dropping the bread paper into the trash as she passed it and headed toward the front doors. She didn't know what would happen the next time they met, but had no doubt that they would cross paths sooner or later. But that was something to think on later; now it was time to head home, before a long day of dealing with the consequences of both of their actions.
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