As the Galactic building began to loom upon them once more, Arun couldn’t help but feel a little anxious standing directly in the lights that exposed the two brothers and their new disguises.
If one was far enough away, they probably wouldn’t notice just how awkward the two looked in their uniforms. Arun being an average (He got just a tad bit sulky when called short) 5’7 meant that their standard uniforms went past his ankles and had to very unceremoniously be stuffed into his boots. Pranav, though taller at 6’0, was still malnourished, and so the uniform hung about him loosely.
The hair as it turned out, were actually wigs, specifically tailored to resemble dyed natural hair. Unfortunately Galactic had gone through great lengths ensuring the wigs were professional, they were made to stick, specifically to bald caps that were also professionally done and made precisely for that one person.
To put it simply, they looked ridiculous.
“You know, these are a lot more comfortable than I imagined them to be.” His brother said, as they began walking up the steps.
“Feels like I’m gonna trip over myself everytime I take a step.” Arun grumbled, matching his pace.
“Ok but that’s cause’ you’re sho-ah, not as tall as I am.”
“Nice save.” He drawled, before lightly kicking his brother in the back of the knees.
Pranav yelped, before shooting him a grin in return, “It’s what I do.”
Now at the front door, they schooled their features, softening them just a tad to make it seem like they belonged. The automatic door opened with a slight hiss, before revealing a dim-lit interior that was mostly empty. A single bleary eyed Grunt manned the front desk, perking her head up at their entry.
“You ah…you’re not Quinn.” She said, rubbing sleep away from her eyes.
Arun nodded, “They’re still out on their mission.”
“Nobody else was scheduled to leave though.”
“We might’ve gone out for a little to enjoy the night a little.” Pranav said, shooting her a mischievous grin.
“Keep it off the books for us?” Arun asked.
She sighed, “Get me a cup of coffee and it’s a deal.”
“Deal.”
They nodded, before making their way through the blue-tinted walls of the headquarters, eventually reaching the steel double doors that led up into the building. Arun quickly swiped his card, and moments later they were up on the second floor.
Blending in was surprisingly easy, simply walking with confidence and a “no-nonsense” look on a face and nobody questioned you. It did help that it was half past 2 in the morning, and those that did stay up usually weren’t in a chatty mood.
Despite the clandestine nature of their job, Arun couldn’t help but gaze wonderingly at the scene around them. Aside from the dim lighting, it was the same strange futuristic, yet somehow classic environment reminiscent of the game. Strange machines whirred and hummed quietly off to the sides, their purpose completely unknown to him, screens showed records and charts of varying degree that left Arun wondering just how much of the info was really useful.
The twisting hallways ended in a split between two rooms, the glow of a large TV flickered brightly ahead of them, alongside a multitude of couches, chairs…and computer terminals. Arun saw 10 in total, with only one occupied by a bleary-eyed scrawny man in a lab coat, typing away furiously at his keyboard.
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“Oh hey!” Pranav whispered in excitement, “A Kitchen!”
Arun shot an incredulous look at his brother, and then shifted his gaze towards the adjacent room. It was a tiny Kitchen, one that eerily reminded him of his former workplace’s break room. The kitchen was furnished with only basic amenities - a counter, sink, fridge, microwave, a couple of tables and chairs - devoid of any personality or character, just a plain and simple kitchen.
“Why don’t you make some coffee for the lady downstairs” He sighed “I’m gonna go talk to that guy over there.”
“What?” His brother replied, slightly offended, “I’m the talker, I do the talking.”
“Not at 3am you don’t. 5 minutes in and we’ll have the entire building on our asses.”
“That’s bullsh-”
“2017.” Arun interrupted, a small smile on his face “Peanut butter incident.”
“...That was one ti-”
“Grade 7 summer camp.”
“How do you even remember that?”
“And! Let’s not forget.” He held the silence for a few beats, watching Pranav’s face grow with more alarm, “Ms.Lan-”
“We don’t talk about her.” His brother hissed
“She knocked your ass out last time I remember.”
“Not listening.”
“Oh you said something to me before you went after her…what was it again?”
“I’m going to the kitchen.”
“I remember! It was ‘Dude she’s crazy about me.’”
Pranav had already started walking off to the kitchen, but much to Arun’s amusement he could see his shoulders stiffen in embarrassment.
“Remember!” He called out softly “Don’t talk to her too much!”
He debated for a moment whether or not he should continue teasing his little brother, but decided against it. Instead heading into the lounge room with the terminals. His target had apparently not heard their whispered conversation, either too busy with his current task, or too tired to care. Arun positioned himself 3 terminals down, booting up the machine.
It was a bit strange to him, here they had all this futuristic tech simply lying around, but they still used old computers from the early 2000’s. He wondered if the game itself had anything to do with the aesthetic, or if it was a mindset thing. More questions for later, he supposed.
Staring at a login screen, he began typing in random users and passwords, a scowl growing on his face and muttering a curse at every incorrect iteration. After the fifth, he sighed and slumped downwards a little. He didn’t know whether or not his late-night coworker even noticed him or not, but Pranav had lectured him multiple times about the importance of presentation, and despite being a general imbecile, he did make some points from time to time.
He finally stood, walking over to the scientist with a sheepish expression on his face. “Excuse me bro, sorry to bother. Think you could help me out a little?”
The man nearly jumped out of his seat, blinking a few times before looking up at him.
“Ah…sorry, yea. How can I help?”
“It’s just the login function.” He said, fidgeting his hands in a clear sign of embarrassment “I’m a bit slow when it comes to remembering things y’know? And they sort of just told me my ID, shoulda written it down but…”
“Ahh I get it.” His scientist friend said with a small smile “Want me to sign in for you?”
“Yea that’d be great.” Arun sighed “Lifesaver, man.”
“Don’t mention it.”
He watched the man type in his login info, before quickly returning to his work. This is why they did things at night, everybody was too tired to ask questions. Sitting down he began clicking through the various icons.
“Browser…Silph Explore…Delimail…heh.” He chuckled softly in amusement at the names of the apps on screen “Pokepedia…FireFennekin, ok that one’s just cheap. Ah, there we go, files.”
There was no guarantee he’d find what he was looking for, but the act of messing about the files would give their two unlucky friends who donated their outfits a reasonable alibi if things did go to shit. He was surprised when he found the floor plans were stashed away in a folder, an image file showing the different floors as well as…as well as the teleporters Galactic had placed around. That was something they’d definitely have to try later.
‘Bottom’ floor actually meant basement level. He could see the storage units lined up neatly along the west side, their contents labelled “classified”. Arun distinctly remembered the only way to reach the basement was through the docks, but there on the floor plans was a clear teleporter leading straight into the basement. Pulling his phone out he snapped a quick photo, before immediately closing the device, 33% remaining. In the Before, finding portable charging devices was surprisingly easy, generators a little less so, but they always topped off on power when they could. He didn’t know if he’d find a charger or anything like that here, but that was a problem for another day.
Satisfied, he closed all his tabs, logging off quickly. He gave a nod of thanks to their scientist friend, who gave him a small smile in return. Leaving the lounge he immediately recognized the smell of coffee, and found his brother lazing about the counter, with two mugs and a plate of small croissants.
“All good?” He asked, his voice muffled by the food.
“Yea, and chew your food, stupid.”
Pranav grinned, finishing the croissant and handing him a mug “What’d you learn?”
Arun took a deep swig, savouring the taste of sugar and cream. Ah, bliss. “Grunts were right, the basement stores the stolen Pokémon. There’s a teleporter that leads in, we get in there, take what we need, get out.”
“Teleporter?” His brother asked, face paling, “Oh no. Not like the spinny ones, right?”
“Exactly like the spinny ones.”
“Arceus save me.” He grimaced, causing Arun to raise an eyebrow. Pranav downed his coffee before continuing. “All right fuck it, let’s do this.”