030. [Anon Text + Images.]

[explosivecombat]

[Well, good afternoon, network - it's been a few months since this particular device has been active. There's an ID assigned to it, of course; those familiar with Team Rocket's activities in the past may recognize it as belonging to the individual calling himself Seth.

He's been inactive lately, as far as crime goes; that doesn't mean he hasn't been busy.

Today's message comes with a few lines of text and an attachment; the text is definitely deliberate, to say the least.]

What does this world mean to you? Do you think it's something worth protecting, or would you rather sit on the sidelines and watch it burn? This place is more than sunshine and Pokémon battles. If given the choice to make a difference, would you take it?

[As usual, there's a set of photos attached to the message; the first few show a desk in a nondescript room, covered in various mechanical things - those who are familiar with incendiary devices and triggers in your world will likely recognize them. The rest?

Those are bombs. A lot of bombs.

The last two are the usual shot of the Rocket member in question, in full Team uniform and shot from about chest-level, keeping his face and other defining features out of the shot. He's not holding anything stolen this time around; rather, it's one of those white cards that he's used to deliver messages before, the words written on it scrawled out in thick, blocky lettering as though someone had gone over the words repeatedly, obscuring any sort of distinctive handwriting for the sake of making it far less identifiable.

LET'S HAVE A WAR.

The final shot is similar to the first; only the card has changed.

OLIVINE CITY.

YOU HAVE THREE DAYS.]

Comments

[explosivecombat]

[...Oh, honey, no.]

All right, all right, point taken.

Carry on, then. Ask your questions if you'd like.

[imthe_shit]

I've told you bits about my world. Why not tell me about yours?

[explosivecombat]

The country I came from is generally very rural. Our government's structure is very militaristic, but outside of our capitol we don't have many large cities, certainly not like the ones here. It's not as advanced as this place, either.

Our country is reasonably young - about four hundred years or so. We've been at war for about that long; a good amount of it toward the beginning was getting ourselves established and all, I suppose. Again, though, there's not much there in general; our primary exports seem to be cattle, coal and war. I hate livestock and I don't like being perpetually dirty, so here I am.

[imthe_shit]

So, a young country, then. That explains why wars are constant for you. Other countries trying to dominate you guys a lot?

[explosivecombat]

A combination of that and our leaders feeling the need to assert themselves, yes.

[imthe_shit]

For 400 years? No wonder the public's getting antsy.

[explosivecombat]

Well, we've also had our share of the standard problems. Civil wars and the occasional uprising and bizarre religious cults springing up for no reason, things like that.

[imthe_shit]

So, all you know is war, then. Explains why you're so into it.

[ All you've ever known is war, too, Snake. ]

[explosivecombat]

A fair amount of people aren't. However, I think the phrase most people in this place like to use to describe me is usually some variation of "sick asshole."

A bit crude, but if that's what they'd like to think, then so be it.

[imthe_shit]

I think you and a guy I have the displeasure of knowing would get along fine.


Or you'd both off each other, which is fine by me.

[explosivecombat]

Is that so? What's he like, if I may?

[imthe_shit]

Does what he feels like, for the most part. Even if that endangers the lives of millions.

At first, it was about him trying to prove himself to a ghost, now he's trying to take over the damn world with his lunacy.

[explosivecombat]

Well, it may comfort you to know I'm not trying to do either; really, I don't think I'd know what to do with the world, if I were to conquer it.

[imthe_shit]

I guess "what you feel like" would lose meaning if you were the boss of the world?

[explosivecombat]

I'm still grounded enough in reality to know that that's not any way to run the world.

[imthe_shit]

Yeah, neither is planting bombs in cities.

Good thing you're not world leader.

[explosivecombat]

Fortunate for all people involved, really.

[imthe_shit]

[ Growl. ]

I'm curious, though, so humor me. If you were king of the world, what would you do? You mentioned that you benefit from war, that you always get something out of it... But you don't think doing whatever you want would be good for a world leader.

So what would you do?

[explosivecombat]

I'm not saying this to dodge the question, but it's so far outside of the realm of possibility that it's difficult for me to even begin to imagine it. I think the closest I've ever come to even contemplating anything like this was when I was asked my price to help a family attempt to take over the country; they hired me on the condition that if they were successful, I would get to do...well, whatever I wanted. But the country wouldn't be mine in that scenario, either.

Owning the world has never been a goal of mine; it's not even anything I've ever really given thought to. The way I'm going the only way I would get it would be if it were literally handed to me and I definitely don't want it, so I suppose all I would do would be question the sanity of whomever gave it to me and then pass it off to someone else.

Maybe I'd make the other prospective leaders fight for it, but beyond that, I have no idea.

[imthe_shit]

Then what about smaller scale?

Your country?

[ The world was such a small place by 2014. Especially with the System in place. ]

[explosivecombat]

...You know, I was actually acting leader of my country for a few weeks.

I think I ordered a car and driver so I could meet someone at a train station, and a sniper unit so I could continue carrying out the job I'd been tasked to before I became acting leader.

[imthe_shit]

Acting leader? How'd a soldier get to be acting leader?

[explosivecombat]

I would say that it's a long story, but it can more or less be summed up with "Our leader is very, very eccentric."

[imthe_shit]

How'd you like being the big boss?

[explosivecombat]

Well, I got that car I wanted with next to no complaints.

However, the sniper unit tried to shoot me in the head, which wasn't exactly my idea of a good time.