Project: Titans -- Phase 2

Chapter 5 - ???'s POV

"I'm required to warn you that Giovanni is not in a good mood today," Matori informed me in monotone as I approached the doors leading to my boss' office. "I would proceed with your request with caution. Not like you ever do that."

"Relax toots," I smiled, patting her on her bob haircut; high heels really did make my life better. "I got this." And with that, I sashayed into the office before Matori could get another word in. Such a drab little woman; I was glad she never rubbed off on my friends. If Gia had ever started acting like her, I would never forgive that little secretary.

"Hello?" I called as I strutted into Giovanni's office. "It's Special Ops A. I requested a meeting with you, Gio. Anybody in here? Hello-o~?"
"Please refrain from using personal nicknames while conducting business," a cold voice boomed from above me. "It's very unprofessional."

"Uh huh, sure," I said, looking up to face Giovanni, sitting up in his chair on high. The whole "King of the Hill" schtick got old pretty fast; kind of pathetic for an old man whose field work amounted to zilch. "Listen boo, I'd absolutely love to stick around and have a little chit-chat like you're prone to do, but let's finish quick just how you like it. You know why I'm here, you'll probably say yes to the amazing idea I have, I walk out of your...ahem, horribly decorated office, prepare my team for their mission, fly to Galar, get Gia, and we celebrate with a stuffed-crust pizza once we're back. Okay, good talk; buh-byeeeee!"

"Hold your tongue, boy," Giovanni growled. That chronic theater kid syndrome is embarrassing. "I would, but see, I just got my nails done, and they're, like, really sharp, and I don't feel like cutting my tongue ope-"

"Silence!" Giovanni yelled, rising from his chair, his Persian (who had been hidden before) hopping from his lap and beginning to stalk me from the shadows. I smiled widely. Button-pushing was a great hobby to invest in; the faster they wanted me out their hair (or their greasy weave, in this case), the faster my work got done.

"You will keep your mouth shut if you wish for me to even consider your request," he snarled. Reluctantly, I didn't cut in with a snarky comment. I usually didn't once someone made something explicitly clear. Being mouthy was great, but I didn't spend decades learning to straddle the line of "annoyance" and "pest" for nothing.

"Continue with your explanation, Special Operative A," he said after he'd recomposed himself (and the red tint of anger had gone from his face). He sat again, and I cleared my throat. "Okay. So, we all know Gia's been missing for a really, really really, really, really, really, really-"

"My patience is wearing thin, Andrew," he growled, and his Persian snarled in agreement. "I'm getting to the point, okay? Have a little patience. Really, really, really, really, reeeeeeeeally long time, right?"
"Yes," Giovanni said slowly, head tilted to one side as he leaned on his hand, looking two seconds away from passing out. 

"Well, since Alpha Squad D literally has been doing nothing for the past fifteen years but train, sleep and let Sidney drive us to the brink of insanity with her Kantonian Pokemon impressions—I love her, but she needs a different special interest—we thought we'd put our unused skills to good use and find her. Besides, we need our ninth teammate back; our annual softball matches against the other teams have been a pain in the butt. Do you know how hard it is to find a shortstop whose Meowth can referee?"

"Get to the point."
"Right, right, the point. Anyways, I want to launch a full-scale recovery mission to Galar to find Gia and bring her back to Kanto."

"This assignment is...a strange request, Special Operative A," Giovanni said, leering down at me from his chair. "Why waste the time and resources to search for an operative who is most likely dead?"

"You don't know that for certain," I said, shifting a bit at the mention of the D-word. His Persian hissed at me for talking back to his master. I hissed right back at it. I'd always hated those things; too high and mighty and picky for my tastes. I much preferred my Delcatty, Princess, to them.

"Sir, Special Operative G is a valuable asset to Team Rocket," I tried the diplomatic route; time to backtrack a bit. "She knows everything about Team Rocket; our most skilled grunts, how many Pokemon we have, what missions their skills would be best suited to, and where we are located."
"Your point being?" Giovanni asked.

"What do you think would happen if she were to one day tell someone about this little after-school club you put together? Someone who might know just what Team Rocket does and decide to give away our location to someone like...oh, I don't know, Officer Jenny and the rest of the world?"

Giovanni was silent, mulling it over. His Persian growled from the shadows and I flashed it a glare along with a wiggle of my claw-like fingernails. Which, I might add, had just been given a new coat of black paint to make them look extra glossy when the light hit them, and were fabulous.

"You do understand the risks this journey involves," Giovanni said suddenly. Nailed it. "Special Operative G will most likely be emotionally attached to some of the people from Galar. You could come across someone who could be entirely different from the girl you used to know. I'd like to have my best operative back with some of her mentality still intact."

"Don't worry about that oily little head of yours, Gio," I smiled, turning on my heel and sashaying my way out the door. "Or your daughter's, for that matter. She'll be back in tip-top shape; just trust a sister. Mkay?"

"If you fail, your entire team's heads will be on the chopping block," Giovanni warned just before I walked out of the room. I stopped, turning back to face him. 

"Have we ever?" I grinned, before turning and sauntering out the doors, letting them slide shut silently behind me.