001 Shot Fired [text; action for Rocket Base]

[shest]

I'm going to list a series of words.

If they are at all familiar to you please respond otherwise dismiss this.

Cold War
Spetsnaz
Lyndon B. Johnson
Nikita Khrushchev
Tselinoyarsk

[About an hour later on the Rocket frequency:]

My name is Adamska. Code name Ocelot. Call me either. I'm a GRU Major if that means anything to any of you.

I would like to speak with whomever is in charge here.

Comments

[artificialrose]

The Cold War was between Russia and the United States, wasn't it?

[shest]

Was?

It's still ongoing.

[Don't mind him, he hasn't noticed the date.]

[artificialrose]

[Boy does he have some news for you]

Oh my. Well, this may be hard for you to believe, but time behaves very strangely here.

...You may want to check a calendar first before I go on.

[shest]

[There's about three minutes' pause before his next reply.]

Fifty years.

I'm fifty years in the future.

[artificialrose]

Yes. Do you need a moment to process that? It must be quite a shock...

[shest]

[What the hell would happen without him?

He needs to get the other half of the Philosopher's Legacy. He needs to find out who gave the orders for The Boss' mission in the first place. But if he's really been thrown fifty years in the future, doesn't that mean that they're all dead?

John would be a very old man if he's even still alive.]

I'm fine.

[Complete and utter bullshit.]

[artificialrose]

[Well, if he's sure...]

Well, the place you're at right now is neither America or Russia. It's somewhere else entirely called "Johto". You're not the only one who was suddenly taken from their home- almost everyone you talk to on the PokeGear is the same. But we're all from different places. Some of them seem to be more 'normal' than others, so you may want to keep an open mind.

Not only different places but, as you probably guessed already, different times. It's extremely strange.

[text | Rocket Frequency]

[ajustcaws]

[...she knew absolutely nothing about the first post, but Rocket frequency... man, how many people are going to end up in this organization?]

i actually don't know who the actual head of this place is... i mean, i asked, but i never got a clear answer about it either. people just kind of end up here and it doesn't really make sense.

[text]

[enjoymyatelier]

[...huh. Now, that's a bit of a blast from the past.

Well, he might as well say something about them, right?]

I'm familiar with all of them but the last one. What is it you'd like to know about them?

[text | Rocket Frequency]

[shest]

[Apparently everyone, man.]

If I can't speak to the head of the organization then I suppose I'll have to settle for whoever is the commanding officer that people defer to.

[text]

[shest]

[He's very tempted to ask about the outcome of the Cold War but that almost feels like cheating somehow. Like turning to read the last page of a book before you've read the first.]

Nothing.

I'm merely looking to see if there are people who would be familiar with what I've been through.

Tselinoyarsk is the easiest way to narrow things down but it's also the biggest shot in the dark.

[shest]

[Oh, he's sure.]

I'm not sure there's much that can surprise me, to be honest.

[When one of your mother's closest allies is a man who controls hornets it takes a lot to shock you. That's not even touching the fact that his former commanding officer could make lightning appear out of nowhere.]

[artificialrose]

That's good to hear! Hopefully you'll adapt quickly here, then. It's... not too bad a place to be until you return home. Which is randomly, I'm sad to say and before you ask.

With that out of the way, be sure to take good care of the creature you were given. They'll be very important if you're going to be here.

[shest]

[Creature? But he was given two.

Well. He'll keep that to himself. His new employers seem fairly similar to his old at any rate and he's good at keeping secrets.]

Of course.

I wouldn't want anything to hurt the magical creature I've been given.

[artificialrose]

Considering they're going to be the ones who will help protect you while you travel, unfortunately them getting hurt is a bit unavoidable... But that's what the PokeCenters are for. There isn't one in New Bark Town, unfortunately, but the next town over, Cherrygrove, should have one. The nurses there will help your Pokemon recover for free. It's very kind of them.

The books in your bag should tell you everything else you need to know! Of course, I'm more than happy to help if you have any questions they can't answer. Being in a strange place with no idea of what's going on... isn't the most pleasant of experiences. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Text

[zero_charisma]

[Far be it from Sniper to seek social interaction, but this day has been anything but normal for him. He'll grasp at any familiarity he can find.]

Yeah, I know about the cold war. What's it to you?

Text

[shest]

That depends what it means to you.

[shest]

I've been in stranger situations.

Well, being kidnapped from 1964 and brought to 2014 is a new one but I've been in plenty of odd situations before and I'm certain this won't be the last of them once I get home.

In any case, I appreciate the help.

[zero_charisma]

No one's gone and shot at each other yet so it doesn't mean much to me. I stay out of politics if I can help it.

[shest]

[Then it's current for him, thank god.]

Not yet, no. But there are a lot of people on both sides hoping to heat things up.

It's the ultimate game of waiting to see who blinks first.

[zero_charisma]

[1972, to be exact.]

It's a hell of a staring contest then. Keeps things interesting, at least. I'm surprised the Americans haven't jumped the gun yet, they've always got to be the hero.

[shest]

[Not too far off, then. Ocelot'd be nearly grateful if he knew.]

In a nuclear arms race, you have to be careful.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was proof of that. The world nearly ended before I turned 19.

Had things heated up, my country would be a pile of smouldering, radiated rubble and America wouldn't be much better off.

[zero_charisma]

[So would Sniper, to tell the truth. Old boys gotta stick together. Or at at least people from similar time periods, Ocelot's around 10 years his junior.]

That'd be a bloody terrible end to a stand-off. I don't much trust these nukes; give me a rifle and a bullet, and I'll stop anyone in their tracks, clean and simple. These bloody bombs though, they've completely turned the fight into a down right mess. It's like a beast gone feral, that's what it is, and the soldiers on both sides, they're the bloody sheep. Both sides are gonna get it. Damn clumsy way of fighting, if you ask me.

[shest]

[Sniper is after Ocelot's soldier's heart with this.

Especially given that he's technically a soldier for both sides, though he's going to be keeping that to himself.]

It's always the soldiers and never the ones giving the orders.

That's just how it goes. Some of the soldiers know it. The ones who have been around for a while, and the ones who haven't learn soon enough.

[artificialrose]

It's no problem. My name is Garry. May I know what to call you?