VOICE MAIL

[inspirethefire]

"This is Hajime Tanaka. I'm sorry to have missed you. Leave a message. Call for me if necessary!"

((Voice mail or texts. His phone is deliberately cheap and low-tech; he doesn't do e-mail, and generally prefers face-to-face whenever possible.))

Comments

[awakeningwill]

[Zero took all this in stern silence, and remained that way for a while. There was no avoiding the desperation in Hajime's convictions - he, who had so much and was brought to his knees by the reality of his own helplessness, longed for his ordeal to mean something. To know that his presence accomplished some good in this school.

To make sure his mission here wasn't a failure.

On one level, it was hard for Zero to completely empathize. After all, he never had a lot to lose to begin with, so he was always prepared to give up everything for a greater good. But that drive, where success was the only option and lives were on the line - that feeling, Zero knew intimately.

He closed his eyes, and willed himself to calm down. Then, opening them again, the reploid spoke.]

I do. But you still risk losing more than you already have.

Are you willing to give your life to see this mission through?

[inspirethefire]

[His jaw was set, his gaze did not falter. He was no fool; he knew, now, what true villains set out to do, and what chance he had against such people.

Some people may have taken that as discouragement, but to Hajime it only made this all the more important. If he backed down from this, than everything he'd ever claimed to stand for meant absolutely nothing.

He'd make a thousand enemies like Eggman, if it meant he was getting somewhere against them.]

There are hundreds of lives under his control that have had that choice stolen from them. Mine willingly offered in exchange is more than a fair trade.

[awakeningwill]

[Zero sighed. That was the only answer he would've accepted, but that still didn't mean he was all that happy about it. He could only hope that whatever training Hajime had been undertaking would be of some practical use - and that he wasn't nearly this stubborn regarding decisions made in the field. Begrudgingly, the reploid relented.]

...I see I'm not going to be able to stop you from participating in your own mission.

[inspirethefire]

[Hajime didn't relax or loosen, but he did feel a flicker of vindication. Zero would have needed to resort to physical force to keep him away from this, but his acceptance made things easier.]

Mm. With that settled, we need to start planning this in advance as thoroughly as possible.

[He pulled a number of papers from his bag--a map, with a couple locations circled, a few photos of his robots from news feeds a couple years ago.] The more we can learn about Eggman's fortress, his defenses, and his robots, the more we can plan and account for. From what I've found, the Carrier lands most often in these areas. He'll have security forces, most likely Pawns, but the faster we can find and destroy his systems, the less likely we'll have to deal with his nastier forces.

[Say what you will about his fighting skill, but research is his thing.]

[awakeningwill]

[Well, this sufficiently impressed Zero at least. Going in and getting reconnaissance first hand of Eggman's current forces would've been ideal, but it'd also risk alerting him to their plan if they were discovered. They'd have to hedge their bets on his forces having suffered losses since the war in the city, and a decreased need for an army in general.

With his good arm, Zero reached over and slid one of the photos closer.]

I remember a little of the inside layout from when I was captured. I don't know where the production line for his Pawns is, but the deployment exit for his ground troops is here. [He pointed accordingly on the photo.] And his lab...

[Zero grimaced with hesitation. It was a hard memory to sift through, even in the best of circumstances. The details were too hard to make out for certain, right now - but he had a feeling. A vague, unplaceable feeling.]

...I think I could find it again.

[inspirethefire]

[Between the memory Hajime saw, and Zero's uncharacteristically abrasive attitude towards Eggman, Hajime could figure out plenty well how Zero knew of such things.]

Good. That'll make a big difference. The production line can't be too far from the exit, so... [He fell silent, as he thought it over. In some small part, he'd been hoping for an even clearer memory from Zero to help things out, but he was plenty satisfied with that much.]

[Finally, he nodded, chewing on his lip.] Naturally, we'll want to keep this as small as possible, but... I think we may need more help, if we can find it.

[awakeningwill]

[Zero nodded in agreement.] The smaller the unit, the easier it'll be to infiltrate the base.

I have a friend with experience fighting Eggman. He's certain to lend a hand, if I asked.

[Even if Knuckles didn't strike Zero as the stealthy type, he had raw strength and speed that dwarfed the reploid's specs completely, and a history of foiling Eggman's plans. It'd make him an invaluable team member.

Another pair of eyes to look out for Hajime's well-being in an enemy stronghold was good too. Though there was the risk that Knuckles' love of fighting would get to his head a little. He was no soldier - but he might make a good distraction for the bulk of Eggman's forces.]

He has some personal history with the doctor, so he might know others with a bone to pick with Eggman.