Stormy Nights Chapter 1
Axel stood there, with gun at the ready and primed to shoot the explosives lying on the ground in front of both them and Scourge. Scourge was just standing there, grinning at the thought of Axel going to try and detonate the explosives when a whole squad of snipers perched in the buildings that surrounded them, ready to fire. But the quiet was broken when a phone started ringing and Scourges grin started to fade
"Do you mind if I get that?" He sighed pulling out a phone from his pocket
"Oh no please, you only have the rest of your life" Axel retorted
Scourge flipped the phone open and pressed it against his ear
"Hello?" He asked
"Yes of course it is" He replied rolling his eyes back at Axel and mouthing the word, sorry, as he continued to take the call as Axel mimicked, no please, in return
"Say that again!" He yelled giving both Axel and Jack a fright
"Say that again and know if you are lying, I will skin you and turn you into shoes" He said aggressively into the phone
"Okay" He replied flicking the phone and putting it back into his pocket before walking back towards Axel
"Sorry, wrong day to die" He sighed as Axel was just nearly about to pull the trigger
"Oh what happened, someone make you a better offer" Axel smirked
"You'll be hearing from me soon Axel, very soon" He smirked before making his way towards the stair case
"So tell me more about what you've found out so far" He said as he made his way towards to the stair case, clicking his fingers as the sniper dots went away
"What the hell was that all about?" Jack asked
"Something else got his attention, question is, what was it" Axel responded putting Silvertooth back into its sheath
"Axel, Jack, come in damn it!" Vesper exclaimed over the com
"Yeah, we read you, just had a little life or death moment with Scourge" Jack replied getting up and defusing the explosives on his vest
"We've got some news you guys will want to hear" Sonic said over the com
"What is it?" Axel asked pushing down on his ear to hear them better
"That EMP gun that we've been trying to get from the Destructix, it's vanished from the warehouse that it was stored in" Sally responded
"How the hell did they move something like that without anyone noticing?" Axel asked
"I don't know, but the Armada has been here, the air smells like a ship just came rolling through" Vesper replied
"Great, see what you can find out and we'll meet back up at the hideout and see what we can do from their" Axel responded
"This is bad, we really need to reform our plan" Jack said to Axel
"Yeah and we need to do it fast or we're going to have a massive problem on our hands, come on, let's head back" Axel said pulling out the grapple hook
Several Hours Later
"You're kidding me right?, He strapped a bomb to your vest and you were going to shoot it?!" Vesper exclaimed as the group of them walked into the hideout
"Yeah that's pretty much it, but something else got his attention and I'm trying to figure out what it was" Jack replied typing away at his keyboard
"Where did Sonic and Sally go?" Axel asked
"They had to go back to mobo to deal with a few things" She sighed falling on to the couch
"Wonderful" Axel sighed as he threw Silvertooth onto the table as he laid down on the couch
"Who ever called Scourge knew how to protect themself; the phone was just a burn phone, practically useless, TAU any luck on your end?" Jack asked as TAU appeared
"Possibly, I detected a strange anomaly during your confrontation in the tower, I picked up traces of another program but this time, it was a VI, it was most likely what was controlling the robots you encountered" He explained
"Why would there be VI in that building, it doesn't make much sense to have one in a building like that" Axel replied as he turned to Vesper and noticed that she was just looking up at the roof
"Vesper?" Axel asked leaning over to see if she was okay
"Huh, yeah, just haven't had any sleep these last few days" She responded, stretching her arms
"Yeah, none of us have had any sleep these last few days" Axel sighed
"Just before I return to the castle Jessabel says hello and gives her regards" TAU said floating towards Axel
"Tell her we send the same and we'll be heading back tomorrow" Axel replied as TAU vanished
"Man, I'm gonna hit the hay, night" Axel sighed as he wandered off into his bedroom and shut the door behind him
"Are you going too Jack?" Vesper asking as she rolled over
"I can't just yet, I've still gotta figure out a few things, don't worry through there's a spare room next to mine so feel free to use it, I'm most likely going to be out here all night anyway" He replied
"Alright, I might as well take advantage of that spare room, goodnight" She yawned as she made her way into the room.
"Night" He replied typing away at his keyboard
Jack's POV
Finally a night where I can think to myself and focus on everything that needs to be focused on without distraction. I looked through the logs of recent phone calls to at least try and look for something that might've been strange and give its self away.
"Jack, I've detected something odd" I heard TAU say as he appeared next to me
"What is it?" I asked back focusing on the screen
"The lounge we've been watching, Scourge has just gone into it" He replied
"Why now of all times" I sighed opening up the armoury so I could pick out a few things to take
"I take it you're going to apprehend him?" He asked
"Yeah, I'm not exactly just going to let this guy slide through our fingers again" I replied
"Didn't he just strap a bomb to your chest and almost blow you up?" TAU asked me again
"Yes, but it didn't really work out for him did it" I retorted back
"I still haven't been able to download or scan the area because something is preventing me from gaining access to their systems" TAU said nervously
"Well, how about I take you along with me?" I asked
"Why?" He asked back
"I need directions and someone to do the extra hacking" I laughed quietly
"Alright then, I'm installing myself into your scanner" He responded as I picked it up and placed it on
"So, where to?" I asked silently slipping out through the window
"Head north from here and then proceed to the central plaza, it's located near a night club so you're going to have to sneak past security" TAU replied as I made my way there
Everyone's attention had been diverted to the Dycorp tower; obviously we must've caused quite a stir for everyone to be over there instead of spending their nights out and about like people here usually do on a night like tonight. I was keeping a close eye on the area around me since I was pretty sure Scourge would try to delay me by setting traps and what not.
"Something doesn't feel right" I said looking around and noticed that it had gotten really dark in the area surrounding me
"Jack, something's coming this way" TAU said
"Yeah, I can hear something as well and smell it and boy does it stink" I remarked looking around
I could hear what sounded like the trots of a horse as the noise got closer and easier to hear. I turned around and started to see ooze forming on the ground which meant that one of those creatures was approaching and obviously wanted a fight. I started to notice a shape appear and it looked as if someone was riding the horse.
"It doesn't seem hostile" TAU said as I drew my revolver and held it up
The creature appeared and someone was riding on the back of it but I couldn't see who he was due to most of his body was covered by a robe and his head being covered by a robe. I looked on as the creature slowly came to a stop beside me with the hooded figure looking down on me.
"I think it's best to put the revolver down" TAU replied
"Fine" I grunted
We stood there staring at each other and after a few seconds I could feel the ooze from the creature on my shoes but the figure was perfectly ooze free. He then dropped an envelope on the ground which I immediately bent over and picked up
"Consider this a favour from my master" He said before charging off
"Was that just?" I asked confused
"I believe it to be so" TAU replied in confusion as well
I pulled out my swiss army knife before cutting open the top of the envelope and pulling out the letter and opening it. To my amazement Mogul had given us the location of the Destructix HQ and to both TAU and my surprise it was a located at the towns dam which we had just narrowly avoided death at a few days earlier.
"TAU, wake the others up, we have a base to raid" I grinned making my way back to the hideout
"Already ahead of you"
Several moments later
Normal POV
"Let me get this straight, Mogul's apprentice just handed you a calling card, just like that?" Axel asked Jack in confusion as they were in the Borealis making their way over Metal City
"That's pretty much the story, no hassle or fight, he just dropped the letter and left" Jack replied
"Sounds like a trap" Vesper added
"Most likely but I don't think any of us will want to risk them getting away" Axel said
"Axel, you read us?" Sally asked over the com
"Yeah we've got you, glad you guys could join the party" He replied with a bit of a cheerful tone
"We've got eyes on the place, seems like someone is home" Sonic replied
"We're just arriving now, we'll come around from the front while you and the others come in from the back, that way whoever is home will be cut off" Axel explained
"Why is it that all the bad guys have creepy dark places to hide in" Bunnie muttered over the com
"I don't know, why are you even thinking about that now?" Sally asked back
"I just am"
"Ladies, can we try and keep com chatter to a minimum" Axel said as the trio jumped out of the Borealis and on to the ground
Axel's POV
It was quiet and deserted around the lake, it was as if everyone had just vanished and not a single trace of people being here remained. I felt nervous knowing if we were about to walk into a trap or score big and find some information about what these guys are up to. The Destructix hideout came into sight and it looked as if someone was indeed home
"You guys go on ahead, I'll cover you from here" I told Jack and Vesper as I pulled out my sniper rifle
"Where exactly are you going to get a vantage point in this place, most of the ground is flat except for the tree's that are around" Jack explained
"Jack, use your brain for a moment" I said with a bit of a laugh before climbing up one
"Oh" I heard him remark
After climbing for a few moments I had reached the top of the tree and I was able to get a good view of the Destructix hideout. I pulled my rifle up and zoomed in with the scope, I could see the freedom fighters in the back whilst Jack and Vesper were standing at the front.
"Okay, you guys in position?" I asked switching to thermal so I could see inside
"We're ready" Sally replied
"Likewise, just give us the go and we'll go" Vesper replied
"Okay, judging by what I can see on the thermal, someone is inside and they're doing something, so go when I say, we want to catch this person off guard" I instructed as I kept watch
I watched on for a few more seconds and noticed that something was extremely hot inside, it looked as if they were burning something, I could even smell it from where I was perched so that can't be good
"Go!" I exclaimed as I watched Jack and Sally place a breaching charge on the walls
Within seconds the explosives went off making a massive hole in both ends. I switched back to normal optics and zoomed in and noticed that Fiona was inside and looked as if she was burning something. All of a sudden I caught something moving around in the corner of my scope.
"Axel, we found something interesting, you may want to come down here" Jack said over the com
"Not right now, I just spotted something dash right through the forest behind you, we're not the only ones here" I grinned
"And you sound happy because?" He asked
"Whoever this is, it's most likely someone important" I replied switching between thermal and normal optics trying to get a grip on where this thing was
"Axel, I'm sending Bunnie and Antoine to help you, we'll stay here in case if something happens and see what else we can find" Sally said as I saw whatever this thing was move again
"Where are you, you little SOB" I murmured as I could now hear what ever this was move below me
"Ya'll called?" I heard Bunnie say as I turned and saw her holding Antoine
"That was quick" I remarked
"Can you hurry zis up, I don't exactly want to fall to my death" Antoine said hastily
"Listen, something is down there and it's moving around pretty fast, find it and then try what you can to detain it, if it's Scourge do what you can to stop him, we cannot let him get away!" I exclaimed as I fired a shot at the ground below but missed whatever it was
"On it" Bunnie replied as her and Antoine made their way towards the ground
I decided to climb down since I wasn't getting anything good from the top of this tree anymore and only a few minutes had passed since I sent Bunnie and Antoine down. As I climbed down I felt something hit me in the back of the head and I fell to the ground landing on my back and felt as if a stake had just been driven through my entire body.
"I told you, you would be hearing from me again" I heard Scourge say as I was opening my eyes just long enough to see him grin
"Good luck trying to move, your entire body is paralysed, that rock I hit you with just managed to cut you and allowed my special paralysis toxin I made enter your body" He grinned kicking me in the leg
"Have fun sleeping in the dirt" He laughed as he ran off
"God damn it, someone, help me" I groaned over the com just barely able to move my lips as I began to drift away into a deep sleep