Greetings yall! Joe Stalin here, as its time for Part 4! Hope yall are ready for this one, but first I will once again respond to your reviews!
Maverick87: Cliffhangers are so much fun, and will ensure the readers will come back for more! And it pays to make them yearn for more, as you yourself know! Thanks for the comment.
captain deoxys: Nevermind, hopefully you'll still enjoy the fic with my version of 'The Juggernaut'. I guarantee the best is yet to come!
Titan: Don't worry, there's plenty of action to come. In this chapter, and the rest of the story! Thanks for the review!
All righty then, I'm done with that! Keep 'em coming guys and gals!
And now, its time to crank this puppy up!
The Legion
Personal Vendetta
The next day...
"Ready Mobius" Nyder signalled from his post behind a bank of monitors. On several of the miniature screens, 'The Juggernaut' gleamed in the heavy industrial lighting, parked over the lift that served as the only entrance into 'The Vault'.
"Max, can you hear me?" the muscleman spoke into a microphone in front of him. There was a brief pause, before the mike kicked into life.
"Reading you, Nyder. Ready to start this bad boy up!" Amendes' voice spoke from a speaker next to the mike.
On Nyder's screens, 'The Juggernaut' growled into life, the roar from its engines so loud it echoed through the room Nyder was sat in.
"Now for the test" Mobius' voice grated, and the camera's zoomed in on 'The Juggernaut' as the lift started up, raising the metal goliath into the air and up to the surface. The monitors continued to focus on the machine as it rose out of 'The Vault' and into the sunlight, its metal shell gleaming brilliantly in the harsh rays.
"Max, hows everything at your end?" Nyder spoke into the mike.
"All systems working at maximum. Power readings normal"
A thin smile tugged against Mobius' lips as 'The Juggernaut' continued to sit on the lift, its hydraulic arm for the moment retracted into the machine.
Inside the vehicle, his gloved hands gripping the two levers in front of him and wearing black goggles, Amendes smirked as he drove 'The Juggernaut' slowly off of the lift surface, his entire body vibrating slightly from the vehicles immensely powerful engines. He could feel the power of the machine at his fingertips, as he brought the vehicle to a stop a short distance away from the lift.
In front of 'The Juggernaut', a large black Mack truck was parked, a tractor trailer attatched to the rear. The armoured vehicle had stopped with its battering ram aimed squarely at the trucks cab. On Nyder's monitor screen, the camera zoomed to a closeup of the Mack.
"Ready Max?" Nyder asked, his excitement rising with every passing second at what was about to happen.
"Ready" Amendes replied.
"Very well" Mobius leant down to the mike. "Destroy that truck!"
Hearing Mobius' command, Amendes smirked and jammed his foot hard on the accelerator. Like an animal about to pounce on its prey, 'The Juggernaut' roared into life and thundered towards the Mack. Within inches of impacting the truck, Amendes flicked a switch in front of him, activating the battering ram. The hydraulic arm punched out from the turret, impacting the trucks cab and crumpling it. Glass and metal flew into the air, as 'The Juggernaut' continued to plow into the damaged truck, pushing it sideways and causing the trailer to jack-knife, almost tipping the truck over. Inside the armoured vehicle, Amendes was jolted by the impact as he continued to press down on the accelerator and push 'The Juggernaut' on, its huge tires crunching over the shower of glass and torn metal underneath. Pumping his fist, Amendes jammed his foot on the brake and brought 'The Juggernaut' toa halt.
"How'd you like that!" the albino dog grinned, his eyes growing big with the adrenaline rush.
Inside 'The Vault', Nyder smiled a sadistic grin as the camera flashed up an image of the smoking wreckage of the Mack truck, its cab crumpled beyond belief. It looked as if a bomb had exploded from within it, such was the extent of the damage inflicted on it.
"Well sir?" Nyder asked over his shoulder.
Mobius inhaled deeply "A highly satisfying result Nyder, not that I expected any less"
He lay a gloved hand on the desk as he grasped the mike.
"Max, I'd like to congratulate you on a superb test run. The vehicle meets with your satisfaction?"
Amendes laughed inside the machine "And how! This thing is intense!" he stroked his hand over the control display, feeling the slight vibration coarsing through it.
"All scans show no sign of damage to 'The Juggernaut', Mobius." Nyder read off a read-out scrolling down the monitor. "The shell came out completely unscathed"
"As I expected" Mobius replied. "The formula is my own creation, after all"
"I gotta hand it to you Mobius, this is one mighty bit of kit!" Amendes admired the machine he was sat in, bathed in the red light of the interior.
Mobius laughed " Let me assure you my dear Max, nothing shall stand in our way. Nothing"
"You took the words right out of my mouth, Mobius" Amendes' eyes lit up with sadistic malice.
Later that night...
Tails looked up from the top of his newspaper as Sonic let out a sigh, the fourth in a matter of a few minutes.
"What wrong, Sonic? the fox asked, putting down the paper and looking at his companion with concern.
"I don't know Tails, I just can't get this whole thing off my ind. First Mobius, then Brett. And I can't stop thinking about why he turned weird so suddenly"
Tails shrugged "As he said, its not our problem Sonic. We gave him all the info we knew, now its up to him to sort it all out"
"But its not Tails," Sonic replied with a frown. "Something big is happening right under our noses, and I don't like it"
Tails sighed, and threw aside his paper "Your bored, thats your problem. You've got nothing to do, so you keep thinking about this 'problem'"
"So what do you suggest, Tails?"
Tails smiled "How about we go out for some grub, hmm?"
Sonic shook his head "Nah, I'm not hungry"
"Even so, it'll help clear your head. Come on, I'm buying"
Sonic smiled "Fine. You've talked me into it"
Tails rolled his eyes "I wonder how"
Sonic jumped to his feet and patted his friend on the shoulder "I think it was the part where you said you'd pay"
The two of them set off out into Station Square. Instead of running, Sonic and Tails walked since they weren't in a hurry. Sonic looked at Tails, and smiled as he thought how much the fox had changed and matured in the last year. Since their last encounter with Shadow Fox, Tails had gone from being an exciteable but intelligent kid, to a mature adolescent. Contributing to that was the months of physio Tails had gone through whilst his gun shot wound from Shadow Fox had healed. As a result, Tails no longer ran as often as he used to, preferring to use his plane in any mission he got involved in. To compensate this, Tails had bcoming more athletic and practised toning up his fighting skills. Although hardly upto Knuckles standard, Tails could now hold his own in a one on one contest.
"So, how much are you going to spend?" Sonic asked, half jokingly, but also trying to figure out how much he could stretch Tails.
Tails looked at Sonic with an annoyed glint in his eye "I think that's not in my control when your around Sonic" he smiled.
Sonic laughed "Ah don't worry, lil bro! I'll be careful"
Tails snorted "I'll believe that when pigs fly"
"Who says they don't?"
The two of them turned into a busy high street, crowds of late night shoppers and diners bustling round them in a continuous throng of humanity. Eventually, they came to a small club called 'The Blue Pearl', and walked in.
After getting a table, Sonic immediately grabbed the menu. Tails sighed defeatedly.
"Why did I open my big mouth?" he muttered, as Sonics eyes stared hungrily at the menu.
Tails looked up as a the doors opened, since their table was close to the entrance. A single man with short, spiked white-blonde haired entered the club and immediately made his way to the bar. Tails eyes widened in recognition.
"Sonic" he nudged the hedgehog to get his attention.
Sonic looked up unwillingly from the menu "What?"
Tails gestured his head towards the bar "Take a look over there"
Sonic looked towards where Tails was gesturing. He gripped the table hard as his eyes fell on the man, who was now sitting at the door ordering a drink.
"That's him! That Howard guy, from Bretts computer!"
"But I thought Brett said he disappeared seven months ago?" Tails said.
"Looks like he just un-disappeared" Sonic frowned, his eyes not wavering from Howard as he was handed a drink.
"Why do you think he's here? Do you think he's meeting someone?" Tails asked.
Sonic nodded "He's connected to Mobius, and that means he's either waiting for him or that other guy. Nyder"
As they watched, Howard put down his drink and reached into his coat pocket and removed a cellular. Sonic squinted his eyes as Howard pressed a single number, and then held the phone upto his ear.
"Speed dial" Sonic muttered.
With the phone still clamped to his ear, Howard turned round in his seat, blocking Sonics view of his face. After a brief conversation, Howard repocketed the phone, downed his drink in one, and stood up to leave. Sonic stiffened.
"What are you gonna do?" Tails asked.
Sonic gestured for him to stand up "Come on, lets follow him. See where he goes"
Making sure Howard didn't notice them, Sonic and Tails crept after their target as he left the club and turned a corner leading to the car park. As Sonic watched, Howard climbed into a silver car and pulled out of the car park. After a brief wait, Sonic and Tails gave chase as Howards car pulled out onto the main road and picked up speed.
"Sonic, we can't chase him. He'll see us" Tails said.
Sonic thought for a moment "All right. Then we'll follow him from the air!" he turned to Tails with a knowing smile.
Tails sighed "Thank God you didn't eat anything"
Holding onto Tails' legs, Sonic was lifted into the air as Tails spun up his twin tails adn took to the air. Sonic looked down, and managed to catch a glimpse of Howards car as it merged with heavy traffic.
"I see him. We can follow him until he stops. Then we'll find out how he fits into all of this" Sonic said, as Tails continued to keep pace with the car.
Twenty minutes later...
"Next time Sonic, try not to grip so tightly" Tails muttered as he rubbed his ankles, which had turned red whilst in Sonics grip.
"Shh" Sonic warned. "They'll hear you"
They had followed Howards car for over twenty minutes through Station Square, before he had eventually stopped in an apparently deserted industrial facility. But when Tails had landed, both had quickly come to realise that the complex was far from deserted.
Even as they watched on, at least half a dozen men in black combats were loading up a semi with what appeared to be fuel drums, rolling them up the rear ramp and into the trailer. So far, fifteen had been loaded.
As Sonic looked on through thefoliage that surrounded the complex thathe and Tails were hiding behind, he spotted Howard approach a man wearing a brown jacket next to the semi's cab. The two of them exchanged briefly, before the man in the jacket climbed into the cab and started up the engine. Behind the truck, one last barrel was loaded up before the men closed the trailer doors and the truck began to pull out of the complex.
Suddenly, Sonic caught a glimpse of something nearby in the foliage, as a bright light momentarily flashed. As Sonic watched, another flash lit up the foliage, followed by a rustling sound.
"Tails. There's someone else in the bushes" Sonic whispered.
Trying to stay as quiet as possible, Sonic began to approach the source of the two flashes, as Tails stayed back and continued to watch the operation taking place. As the Semi pulled away, the combat dressed men started walking towards a familiar red van, whilst Howard stayed back.
Gritting his teeth for fear of making a sound, Sonic slowly tiptoed through the foliage. His ears perked up, he heard another rustling sound, followed by a faint clicking noise. Lifting his arms in front of him, Sonic braced himself to jump.
In a flash of blue fur and quills, Sonic lunged through the foliage and impacted with something solid. A shout of surprise rang in his ears as he pinned down the stranger. He was met by a pair of familiar brown eyes staring furiously at him.
"What the hell are you doing, Sonic!" Brett yelled out angrily, and clasped his paw over his mouth as he realised his mistake.
Hearing the noise, Howard span round towards Tails hidey-hole.
"What the hell...?" Howard exclaimed, as Sonic and Brett tumbled out of the foliage in plain sight.
"We've gotta stop meeting like this, Brett" Sonic smirked, but it faded as he realised they were both out in the open.
"Oops" Sonic said, as Howard pulled out a glock pistol and aimed at him.
"Your on your own, hedgehog!" Brett said, before jumping back into the hedge as Howard opened fire.
Sonic dove for cover as a hail of bullets ripped up the tarmac around him. Scrambling to his feet, Sonic began to run as Howard unleashed a volley of shots, each one missing Sonic by mere inches. Alerted by the noise, the armed men trained their guns at the blue hedgehog and opened fire. The complex was lit up with gunfire as Sonic dove for cover amid the hail of bullets. In the bushes, Tails span up his Tails and took to the air, managing to stay unseen by the gunmen as he watched Sonic run in a zigzag formation. To his horror, he saw Sonic dive for cover behind the van, completely vulnerable and with no way of escaping.
His ears perked up suddenly at the sound of a car engine, and seconds later a black T-Top roared into the complex, startling the gunmen as it screeched to a halt next to the van.
Sonic looked up with a snap as the door flew open.
"Get in, quick!" Brett shouted from the drivers seat, and Sonic dove into the car, not needing to be told twice.
Brett gunned the engine, and the T-Top hurtled past the gunmen, who opened fire as it shot past them. Two shotgun blasts struck the car on the hood, and as Brett swerved towards the foliage Howard pumped three more shots from his pistol into it, puncturing holes in the side.
Tails jumped back as the car stopped inches away from hitting him, only to be pulled in sharply by Sonic. Brett put the car in gear and sent it hurtling towards Howard, who dodged out of the way, barely. He swung his glock pistol around, and fired. His first shot blew out the back window, the second tore off the rear licence plate. Brett swung the car round as another bullet shot past it, and floored the car through the open gates and out of the complex. Turning sharply to the left, the black T-Top shot onto the road and tore away.
Once they were clear, Sonic let out a rushed breath.
"Woah! That was close!" he chuckled, but was silence immediatley as Brett glared at him. The wolf looked as if he was about to explode.
"I swear to God, your paying for this repair bill!" Brett growled, sweat glistening on his fur.
Tails gulped in the back seat. It seemed as if it wouldnt take much to set Brett off, so he decided to remain quiet.
"What the hel lwere you two doing there in the first place? I told you to stay out of this!" Brett snarled.
"Yeah well, you weren't exactly completely honest with us, Brett" Sonic frowned. "We said we wanted to help, but you wouldn't say anything!"
"Because I don't want or need your help!" Brett shouted. "This is my case, and if you two hadn't of just blown my cover, I could have been getting the evidence that would lead me to Mobius!"
"Well Brett, like it or not we're a part of this too now!" Sonic snapped. "Those guys know about us now, so we can't just do nothing! We want to help you, and things would go a heck of a lot smoother if we worked together"
Brett let out a long breath, and kept his eyes on the road. Sonic wasn't about to give up.
"And if we are going to help you, you can start by telling us what it was on the phone that spooked you out so much"
Brett wiped the sweat from his face, and then looked at Sonic long and hard.
"If, and I mean if, I agree to let you help me...will you please not wreck my car anymore?" the wolf's face broke into a grin, but still looked a little aggravated.
Sonic started to laugh "Its a promise, Brett"
Brett sighed "Okay. What do you want to know?"
"Who was on the phone back at your place?" Tails asked.
"My friend, Charlie. He had some...important news for me" Brett replied.
"Which was?" Sonic asked.
Brett paused before answering "Okay, this is going to get...complicated. Two years ago, we became aware of a new terrorist advertising himself for hire to the highest bidder. His name was Max Amendes. You heard of him?"
Sonic shook his head "Doesn't ring a bell"
Brett nodded "Believe me, it will. Anyway, we became aware of this Amendes after he blew up a trading summit in China. Killed a lot of people, most of them innocent civilians. So, after that Amendes started advertising himself, claiming to be the best in the business. You name it- extortion, blackmail, murder for hire, drug running, he did it. We tried to find out where he was located, but we could never get a fix on him cos he kept moving around. State to state, country to country"
"Sounds like a busy guy" Tails muttered.
Brett continued "But then, about a year ago Amendes arrived in Washington on a new contract. We thought he was planning to blow up one of the monuments, but he gave us the slip again. Turns out he had been hired by a jealous husband who wanted his family wiped out to claim the life insurance. He hit a tower block filled with people. Whole families. He disguised himself as a maintinance worked checking the ventilator system, and planted a bomb in the ducts. You can guess the rest..."
There was a pause as the impact of Brett's words sunk in.
"Then what happened?" Tails asked.
Brett sighed "I completely collapsed. One of my best pals lived in that tower block, him and his wife. He was called Terry. They didn't stand a chance" he gripped the wheel tightly, and a single tear trailed down his cheek.
"I'm sorry" Sonic said.
Brett nodded "Me too. Anyway, we caught Amendes a little while later. And that's where you come in, Sonic" Brett pointed at him.
Sonic frowned in puzzlement "Me?"
"Yeah. Don't you remember? That bank job you stopped nearly a year ago?"
"Barely" Sonic replied.
Brett smiled "Exactly. One of the guys involved happened to be one of Amendes' clients, and we were able to get an address he was using. He got arrested soon after that, and sentenced to life. But..." he shook his head.
"But what?" Tails asked.
Brett sighed "Yesterday, Charlie phoned me up. Amendes was being flown to another maximum facility in Arizona. But the plane vanished. No trace, nothing"
"Did it crash?" Sonic asked.
"I only hope to God it did, cos the only other alternative is much worse. If Amendes is free, this whole case takes a completely different turn"
"So you think Amendes and Mobius are working together?" Tails asked.
Brett nodded "I know Mobius, and he's got contacts with everyone and everything involved in crime. Plus, he's got money. And that's something Amendes can't get enough of"
"So," Sonic said. "What happens now?"
Brett smiled faintly "Now...we're going to meet my best pal Charlie. See what he can dig up about this whole mess"
"And then?"
Brett smirked "Lets wait and see"
Later that night...
"You have got to be joking..." Tails remarked as they arrived to meet Charlie.
Brett had stopped at a huge amusement park, and the sounds of screaming and the flashing of bright lights was enough to send the senses haywire.
"Nope" Brett answered Tails remark. "This is the place. Since its a public area, no one would be stupid enough to try anything"
Slapping them on the shoulders, Brett led then way through the melee of people crowded inside the park, queing for rides or food, and the heavy smell of fried chicken and cotton candy filled the air as they followed Brett to his meeting place. Eventually, they came through the crowd and into a much quieter area of the park where a drinks shop was situated. A pair of automatic glass doors provided entry inside, and Sonic and Tails followed Brett into the shop and upto the serving bar. A maintenance worker brushed past Sonic towards the exit as they sat down next to the bar. Nearby, a German Shepherd was sat, and his face broke into a grin as Brett tapped him on the shoulder.
"Brett! 'Bout time you showed up, what kept ya?" the dog, Charlie, asked.
"I had to stop off to pick up some new friends" Brett replied with a smirk, and pointed at Sonic and Tails "Guys, this is my best buddy, Charlie"
Sonic shook Charlie's paw "Hi, I'm Sonic and this is my good pal Tails"
"Ah, I don't need telling who you two are. I'd have to be blind and deaf for all the mentions you get in the news!" Charlie laughed.
Brett took a seat next to Charlie "So, what do you know?"
Charlie's smile faded "About the...you know what?" he looked at Sonic and Tails suspiciously.
Brett noticed "Don't worry, they know"
Charlie nodded "Okay. First of all, the plane has been found. It didn't crash, it landed"
"Landed?" Brett frowned. "So, Amendes landed it himself?"
"Sure looks that way" Charlie replied. "Broke out of his stasis tube, killed the guard and pilots, and landed on the outskirts. And there's been no sign of him"
Brett closed his eyes "What else?"
"We found a...tracker on the plane. Someone knew Amendes was going to land. Care to hazard a guess who?"
"Mobius" Brett muttered. Tails and Sonic continued to listen in on the conversation.
Outside the cafe, the maintenance worker who brushed past Sonic was huddled next to the mechanism for the automatic doors. Rejoing the wires together, the worker stood up and closed the hatch. Adjusting his walkman, the overall clad worker stood up and walked off, leaving his tool box behind.
Brett bit his lip in puzzlement "How does Mobius fit into all this?"
Charlie leant forward "A new client perhaps? He springs Amendes, so Amendes does a job in return"
"Yeah, maybe" Brett replied. "But there's more to all this, I know there is"
Charlie looked at his watch and got to his feet "Right, I'm off. I'm gonna go check back, see if they've found out anything else of value"
Brett shook Charlie by the hand "Bye pal. Be careful, yeah? I'll call you"
Charlie winked at Sonic and Tails "Nice meeting you guys"
The German Shepherd shook their hands, and then walked towards the exit doors. They opened automatically to let him out...
A short distance away from the cafe, but with a clear sight of the doors, the maintenance worker blew upwards, causing the tuft of fur on his head to flick up. Picking up a remote device from his pocket, the worker adjusted his walkman and smirked as he saw Charlie approaching the doors. The German Shepherd walked through the open doors, and the worker flicked a switch on the remote...
Witha sudden snap, the glass doors snapped shut with a tremendous smash. Brett looked up in horror as a scream punctured the air, and he saw Charlie slump to the floor covered in blood.
"Oh dear God, no!" Brett shouted, pushing past the crowd of onlookers gathered around. The glass the doors were made of had shattered, leaving only the steel frame they were attached to. Blood was trickling onto the floor, as Charlie lay in heap, caught between the razor sharp steel frame.
Sonic and Tails pushed past the crowd, and Tails gasped at the horrific scene in front of him. Brett slumped against Charlie's body, tears brimming in his eyes. He looked up slowly as he saw the discarded tool box next to the door mechanism, which a white card was attached to. Walking over, Brett picked up the card as more people began to crowd around.
"A little reminder. Max" the card read.
Brett's eyes, still brimming with tears, flashed with a rage so intense it threatened to erupt from his entire body. His vision tinted red as he crunched the card in his paw, and looked round the surrounding area for any sign of Charlie's killer. Finally, he succumbed to his emotions, and slumped to the floor as intense sobs escaped his throat. Sonic and Tails walked over to comfort him.
From his viewpoint, Amendes smirked at a job well done. Adjusting his cap, and switching on his walkman, he disappeared back into the crowd.
End of Part 4.
Tell me what yall thought! Hope you guys liked it, and stay tuned for more exciting chapters! Ooh, the suspense!
Joe.