Seas of Magma

Tracking

Maeve had taken Archie down to the IT department so that they could begin searching for Steiner. She gently pointed out a young man to the sailor, explaining that although he was the youngest in the department, he was one of their best hackers. Nodding, Archie walked over to him and tapped on his shoulder.

"'Ey, scamp. I got a favour ta ask of ya." Before Archie could say anything more, the young man tensed up and gritted his teeth a little.

"I'm working, do you mind?" His fingers flew across the keyboard in front of him and for a moment the sailor was in awe.

"How d'ya type so fast?"

"In my line of work, you have to be able to type fast. Plus, it takes years of practice..." Turning to face Archie on his swivel chair, the young man folded his hands in his lap, azure eyes watching the sailor closely. "Since you have my attention now, was there something you needed?"

"Yeah, actually. Y'know anythin' about Takeshi Steiner? Apparently he's been causin' trouble and Maeve here thinks he may be responsible fer kidnappin' yer leader..."

There was a thoughtful look on the young hacker's face, one hand reaching up to brush a few strands of crimson red hair from his face. "Takeshi Steiner... not exactly popular around--- wait, did you just say Maxie was kidnapped? How?" Archie explained the situation at Seaworld and his earlier conversation with Maeve. For a while the younger male was silent, then he spoke up. "... This is not good." Turning back to his desk, he picked up a notepad and pen to take notes, pursing his lips in thought. "Admin Maeve's theory seems highly likely."

The sailor reached out to ruffle the young man's hair. "Y'got a name, scamp?"

He tensed up again. "Don't do that. And if you want a name, it's Kody. Kody Rainsland. And you're Archie, obviously." Before the two men could converse further, Maeve stepped forward and clasped her hands behind her back, explaining to the two that this would most likely turn into a massive rescue operation. Kody leaned forward in interest. "If there's a rescue operation, then I definitely want to be a part of it." Turning back to his desk, he leaned over and picked up his notepad and pen again, scribbling down a few more notes. Archie gently placed a hand on the small of his back.

"So how're we gonna track Steiner then?" The sailor paused as Kody seemed to stiffen, then the male whirled around and delivered a sharp backhanded slap to Archie's face with a force that seemed unlikely for someone as slimly built as he was. His short yet sharp nails gouged into the sailor's cheek deeply enough to draw blood, causing the stronger man to move backwards and cup his cheek in pain. "'Ey, that weren't very nice!"

The young hacker took a few breaths to calm himself, adjusting his hat. He didn't turn to face Archie. "Don't touch me. Are we clear?"

"Crystal clear." Archie nodded. Letting out a sigh, Kody seated himself back at his desk, leaning forward in his chair slightly as he began to trace Steiner's location. Both the sailor and Maeve looked over his shoulder. It only seemed to take him a few moments to locate the man.

"Looking at the GPS coordinates here, I'd say that Steiner is on an island somewhere between the Hoenn and Unova regions. Probably so you wouldn't be able to find him by conventional means, but he overlooked the fact that we can trace his comms. Fortunate for us. Anyway, the only way to get there is by boat..."

The sailor stood to attention. "I've got a boat. Several, actually. And considerin' what we're goin' in ta do, I say we need somethin' inconspicuous. I dunno who else ta take but I'll see who else wants ta join." Taking out his Pokénav, Archie sent a message to Shelly to gather a few reliable Aqua members and pick out a small boat to carry around ten people. It was time to get the mission underway.

[[ Author's Note: The character of Kody Rainsland is not my character. He's actually my friend's OC and I've been given permission to include him in this story. :3 ]]