Chapter 7: The R.H. Warehouse
"Do we even know where to start looking for this warehouse?" asked Tails. "This is one of the biggest cities in the world. It could be anywhere!"
"Well, I guess we better start looking," said Blaze.
They stepped out of the Toronto International Airport and found themselves on the outskirts of the large urban center of Toronto. Even these city limits were denser than Denver, and they could see some of the tallest skyscrapers in the world in the distance, such as the Needle. There were a seemingly infinite number of people bustling along the sidewalks and in the cars driving down the packed streets. Not to mention all of the signs and stores looked different. Everything had some sort of French twist to it, much to the delight of the girls. They stared open-mouthed at the beautifully crafted gowns and dresses displayed in the shop windows, but then reversed their smile when they remembered their mission—and their pocketbook limits.
They took a bus to the inner part of the city, which proved to be the New York City of Canada. There were millions of people in this city, which proved both good and bad for the CIA agents and their friends. There were many people to ask if they had seen anything that seemed out of the ordinary, particularly a warehouse. But no one they ran into knew anything, and some couldn't even understand them. And besides, such a big city made it incredibly easy to hide a warehouse that supplied criminals with weapons. They tried to bring up the subject of the international jewel thief, which aroused even those who couldn't speak English, but did nothing to help, indicating (in English or not) that they knew nothing.
"Sonic, are you sure what you saw was right?" Blaze questioned. "What if this place doesn't exist anymore? The Canadian government may have demolished it because they found out it was supplying the international jewel thief with his or her weapons."
"I know what I saw," Sonic said. "It said it was manufactured by R.H. Tech in Toronto. We're in the right place."
"But what if we're not?" Amy asked. "What if the jewel thief is out somewhere else, plundering some country of its jewels? Isn't that supposed to be your first priority: to keep the thief from depredating the world any further?"
"No, my mission is to bring in the thief. My orders were from the President. It would be useless to defend all those countries as long as the thief is on the loose. We need to bring this criminal in and end their stealing once and for all."
"Sonic's right," said Blaze. "Let the countries' armies defend themselves. We need to catch this crook."
"Of course you agree with Sonic," Amy blurted out.
"Amy!" Sonic shouted. "What is your problem?"
"Please Amy!" said Cream. "Be polite to our new friend!"
"Amy, I don't know what you hate me for, but I'm sorry for whatever it is," Blaze said to try to calm her down.
"Don't be sorry, Blaze," Sonic said with a sidelong frown at Amy. "Amy can be like this at times. You just have to ignore her."
Amy's face then turned from mad to stunned. "Sonic…"
"Sonic, you don't have to say that to her," Blaze said. "It's OK."
Sonic sighed. "Sorry, Amy," he forced out of his mouth.
Amy continued to walk with her head slightly hung as the five friends walked down the sidewalk, asking everyone they saw if they knew anything, but they never found anyone who knew anything. Someone did, however, mention to them a hardware store that they knew of on Front Street, called Front Hardware. This wasn't exactly what they were looking for, but they figured they would try it anyway. And maybe they would know where to find this R.H. warehouse, if it even existed.
They thanked the man for his help and walked to the nearest bus station and waited a few minutes. The man had said it was somewhat north of their present location, about two miles. The bus got there, and all five boarded it quickly. They couldn't find five seats near each other, so they split up. While on the bus, they got a chance to look at some of the local shops and restaurants scattered all over the city. The fact that it was nighttime seemed to add to the livelihood of Toronto. Not unlike every other city in the world, all of its lights were bright, its stores open, and its residents crowding the sidewalks. And yet, none knew that there was a criminal weapon warehouse hidden somewhere within their boundaries, at least according to Sonic. But again, this was a city. Nothing seemed to surprise city dwellers. If something ever happened, chances are it had happened before in their city.
After nearly ten minutes, the bus finally turned onto Front Street, meaning only another half mile to go. But the bus stopped on the next corner, and the bus driver indicated that this was the stop for Front Street, so the five of them got off and walked down the sidewalk in the direction of the store. The half mile actually didn't seem so long as they crossed streets and passed stores and finally made it to the hardware store. It seemed typical enough, confirming some beliefs amongst them that they had been led to some random hardware store in the city that was known among the public. Still, they decided to go in and investigate.
A bell rang as they entered. They saw several aisles of different types of household and commercial tools, but nothing suspicious. There was, however, only one cashier on duty, which seemed awkward if this was truly such a popular store. There were many people in it, browsing among the shelves, searching for that wrench to fix a leaking pipe at home or another light bulb for the one that had blown out in the kitchen ceiling. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, which was why Sonic began to suspect something.
"Excuse me," he said to the clerk. "Could you tell me where I can find the R.H. warehouse?"
The clerk, who was a stout, older gentleman with balding hair, widened his eyes in shock for a split second before bringing forth a look of misunderstanding. "I'm sorry, but I'm not aware of such a warehouse. I know every one in Toronto, and I know there isn't one called R.H. You must have the wrong place."
"Thanks," said Sonic, and he truly meant it. He turned around and walked back to the front door, his friends following him, but instead of walking out the door, he took a left down the aisle next to him. Although they couldn't understand where Sonic was going with this, his friends followed him, and when he stopped in front of the "EMPLOYEES ONLY" door, so did they. He made sure no one was looking before quickly and quietly opening the door and went in. Both he and his friends managed to get in without being seen.
When Cream closed the door, it was pitch black. Sonic stepped forward, and then suddenly felt himself falling down a set of stairs he hadn't seen. "I'm fine," he said when he rose to his feet at the bottom. "Just watch your step."
They all felt for the railing as they cautiously walked down the stairs in the darkness. When they reached the bottom, they saw a small light on the wall in front of them. They walked over to it and noticed that there was a small black arrow on the light, pointing downward. Sonic pushed the elevator button and the door opened instantly. A small bell rang as they entered the elevator and turned around to face the door, only to see someone approaching them from the foot of the stairs. "Stop!" he ordered, but by then the elevator doors were sliding closed, and the man disappeared in front of them as they slowly descended.
When they got to the bottom, the doors opened and they were in a small, closed room. They walked to the other side and opened the door. They opened their eyes in awe, for before them were large shelves, crates, and machines all stacked throughout what seemed to be a large warehouse underground. The door had opened up to a catwalk passing over the lower level.
"Guys, welcome to the R.H. Warehouse," Sonic told them. "I thought this place seemed a little suspicious."
Before he could tell them what he wanted them to do, they heard the elevator doors opening in the room behind them, and they ran down the catwalk and split up when they came to several more of them. They heard the man behind them running after them, and all of a sudden, Sonic heard the sound of a rocket approaching from above. It hit part of the ceiling above him, and some of the supports collapsed. He ran from the collapsing beams and fell when the catwalk collapsed under him.
He quickly rose from the ashes, expecting another rocket, but instead he saw two guards running at him with guns pointed at him. He quickly ran behind a large generator and saw an open corridor. He ran for it down the dark hallway as he heard shots being fired at him from behind.
He entered another large storage room and saw Tails on the catwalk above him, running from another guard firing rockets at him. Sonic used the shelves and crates to jump up to the catwalk, where he blew the guard off the cliff and down to the ground with his tornado, causing the guard to be knocked out. He wasn't out to kill these guys, but he would harm them if they were harming him. And besides, the whole reason he was here was to get information on the identity of the international jewel thief. And to do that, he needed the others to distract the guards while he searched the warehouse. He told his plan to Tails, then jumped back down to the ground and ran off down the aisles of shelves, searching for the smoke bomb that the jewel thief had used. This would confirm his suspicions and lead him to seek out the manager of the warehouse and interrogate him.
Blaze jumped out of the way of an oncoming bullet and dove behind a large shelf. "Come on out, you little rodent!" shouted the obnoxious guard. "I don't want to hurt a lady," he added sarcastically.
At hearing this, Blaze turned around so fast she almost fell over. She leapt into the air and took out the guard with such speed that he didn't even get a chance to see her. He just fell hard to the ground. "What's that?" Blaze asked with a smirk. "Yeah, that's usually the response I get from creeps like you."
She turned and ran past the high shelves and racks of any terrorist weapons imaginable. If some of the world's most dangerous terrorists could get down here, then the whole world could be in some serious trouble. They had bombs of every shape and size, ray guns, machine guns, biological weapons, nuclear missiles, and jet fighters in a hangar nearby to name a few things. One explosion could decimate the whole city above them. But it was situated in such an open area that Blaze was curious as to how any dangerous criminals could even get in here. They would have to walk through the open streets of Toronto where everyone could see them. There had to be some underground way into this place, and Blaze made it her mission to find it.
She started down another corridor when she heard screaming coming from the room in front of her. She recognized it as Amy—she must have been captured. Blaze started running down the hall and turned in the direction of the scream, and she caught a glimpse of one of the guards holding Amy with a gun pointed at her head.
"All right," the guard muttered to his hostage as Blaze ran behind a large crate. "Now let's see if we can't get something out of you. What are you punks doing here?"
"I-I don't know!" cried Amy. "Let me go! I just came along with the others. I don't know why we're here!"
"Look, if you don't tell me where the others are, I won't hesitate to kill you! Where are they?"
"Right here!" Blaze shouted as she jumped out from behind the crate. With the guard distracted, Amy freed herself from his grasp and knocked him out cold with her Piko Piko Hammer before Blaze could even finish saving her.
"Aren't you going to say 'thanks for saving my life'?" Blaze asked Amy.
"In case you didn't notice, I took care of him myself," replied Amy.
"Yeah, but if I hadn't gotten his attention, you'd still be a hopeless hostage."
"I can take care of myself!"
"Is that why you let yourself get captured?"
"Shut up!"
"Amy, what is your problem? I haven't done anything to you, and you start off hating me."
"Don't pretend you don't know."
"If this is about Sonic, you need to open your eyes. I'm not about to go out with him on a date—"
"So then why did you?"
Blaze hesitated before speaking. "It wasn't a date! We were just two government agents meeting and discussing information."
"Am I supposed to believe you?"
"Yes! We're on the same side! You shouldn't be letting your emotions get in the way of your mission—"
Blaze stopped at the sound of the cocking of a gun above them. Both hedgehogs looked up to see a man in a suit looking down at them. They noticed that he was the man they saw at the counter in the store above them, but more menacing looking now. He had oily black hair pushed backward and a huge smirk on his face. "Well, well, well," he said in a deep voice. "If it isn't the well-renowned CIA agent, Blaze. It's about time your government has found me."
"It wouldn't have taken so long had we actually been trying to find you, Hernandez," Blaze remarked calmly in the face of a gun.
"So what exactly were you trying to accomplish by intruding onto my premises?" he asked. "You didn't really think you could put an end to my profitable business, did you?"
"Actually, I wasn't sent here for that reason. I was interested in speaking to you about one of your customers."
"Ah, I'm sorry, but I can't reveal any personal information about my customers," he glared. "No matter who they are."
"You don't recognize a deal when you see one, do you, Hernandez?" she smirked back at him. "Either you tell me what I need to know, or your business will be seen in a public court. Your choice."
"My dear, how can you possibly be giving me orders when I am the one holding all the cards?"
"I have reinforcements on the way. They'll be here shortly to coerce you."
"I'm afraid that, though I may not be able to tell when you are proposing a deal to me," he chuckled. "I can identify a lie when I see one, especially when I have evidence to disprove you." He motioned to the side of the large room, and the lights dimmed as a screen unfolded from behind the wall showing a radar screen with a 100-mile radius. "No government knows about this warehouse, and I intend to keep it that way." He motioned once more and several guards came out from the side rooms. All of them had guns pointed at the girls.
Blaze merely shook her head. "Just because I said 'reinforcements on the way', doesn't mean they're not already here," she smirked.
"Yes, yes, I know about your new recruit and his friends," Hernandez said with an equally smug face. "It's only a matter of time before they are brought here."
"You underestimate us," said Blaze. "Not the wisest of decisions at a time like this."
"I assure you, Blaze, that my men are fully capable of handling your new friends," he replied. Amy could clearly see that this conversation was becoming a battle of wits, each trying to psyche the other out.
"Oh, I don't think so," said Blaze. "You don't know Sonic."
"So, is that your new friend? How did you get him to help you? Take him on a date?" Hernandez enjoyed toying with her like this, and when he saw the expression on the pink hedgehog's face, he new he had hit a soft spot. "Or did I just interrupt a fight between the two of you over who he likes more. I think…"
"…you had better be quiet!" Amy yelled suddenly.
Hernandez looked at her as if she had just destroyed one of his most expensive weapons. But his expression quickly turned to delight. "I'm sorry, I must be mistaken. Sonic is your boyfriend, then?"
"Don't let him get to you, Amy," Blaze warned her companion. "He's just trying to get us to start fighting." She turned to Hernandez. "It's pretty sad when you have to divide us in order to gain the upper hand, Hernandez, especially when you have the guns."
Hernandez then thrust his gun out toward Blaze, who didn't even flinch. "Find them, now!" Hernandez shouted to his men.
After all of the guards dispatched, Blaze looked back up at their supposed captor. "So where were we," she said as if she were holding the gun at him. "Oh yes, we were just about to discuss one of your customers in particular."
"You honestly think I won't shoot you?" Hernandez said not as calmly.
"Hernandez, I know you would. But I also know that you can't," she smiled.
Before Amy could react, a bullet propelled out of the gun in Hernandez's hand and fired right at Blaze, but she moved so fast that she almost made the bullet visible. Amy could only hear her jumping from shelf to shelf as gunshots fired out throughout the room, each one missing Blaze by several feet. Clearly, Hernandez was losing sight of his enemy, and so he did what Blaze was afraid of: he pointed his gun at Amy.
"If you value the life of your pink friend here," he shouted seemingly to the air. "You will return to that spot to her left."
Blaze seemed to appear out of thin air as she returned to her location; even Hernandez was startled. But he quickly recomposed himself and began to sound much more in control.
"Now, I believe you asked me a question and I never answered it. Could you repeat it?" he asked with the gun pointed at Blaze again.
She knew what he meant by it, so she remained silent. "What?" sneered Hernandez. "You forgot already? Well, I guess we have no more business here."
"Why don't you just kill us off, Hernandez?" Blaze asked. "Since we know about your warehouse, wouldn't you want us to die with that knowledge?"
"Of course I would, and you will. But I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to see your final, pathetic moments of 'glory' and how your brilliant career will come crashing down before me. Everyone loses once in their life, Blaze. And your luck just ran out."
"Really?" Blaze asked, still smirking. "Then why are you the one who's out of bullets?"
Hernandez stopped. He pulled his trigger, but nothing came out. He quickly turned to run, but Blaze was in front of him before he had even spun around. He turned the other way, only to meet the pink hedgehog blocking his only other escape route. In his fury at being outsmarted, he threw his gun at Blaze, which she caught and tossed to Amy. Blaze herself pulled out her own pistol, fully loaded, and forced Hernandez against the wall.
"Now, I think I was about to ask you a question," Blaze said, now realistically in control. "Amy, do you remember…oh, now I remember!" she said sarcastically. Blaze then turned to face Hernandez with the most serious face Amy had seen her use during this whole conversation. "What do you know about the international jewel thief?"
"You think you have me?" Hernandez said in a desperate attempt to sound calm. "I have guards—"
"Enough, Hernandez!" Blaze shouted with a frustrated tone. "It's over. You've lost. Now answer the question. And I'm not afraid to use the pistol."
"Yes you are," he reminded her. "You need me alive to give you my knowledge."
"Hmmm," said Blaze. "I suppose you're right. I guess we'll have to find some other means of persuasion. Amy, would you mind?"
Amy could tell what Blaze was getting at, so she jumped back down to the floor and ran over to a large weapon, threatening to destroy it.
"Now, we can make this easy, Hernandez," Blaze said to him. "Or it can get pretty messy in here. Now tell me what I need to know!"
"Well, first of all you should know that if your friend damages that machine, this whole city will be blown sky high," he warned her.
"Plenty of other valuable merchandise in this warehouse," said Blaze, not phased by his statement. "And I've got plenty of time."
Hernandez made no response, refusing to surrender any information. Blaze smacked him on the forehead with the barrel of her gun. "Please don't make me repeat myself," she said, now looking angry. "Who is the international jewel thief? Where are they now?"
"I don't know," he replied simply, despite the fact that the gun had left him with a gash bleeding down his face.
"What do you mean, you don't know?" Blaze asked frustratingly. "You've been doing business with them for some time now. You must be able to contact them in some way."
"What are you talking about? I've never done business with them!"
"Maybe you have, and you didn't know it."
Hernandez still looked truly confused. "I guess I need to explain myself," Blaze said in an annoyed voice. "I had a recent encounter with the thief in Colorado, but they managed to escape. They left behind the capsule which had contained some sort of purple smokescreen. And it said on the capsule: MANUFACTURED BY R.H. TECH IN TORONTO."
Hernandez looked at her. "And you actually believe this criminal? Tell me, how did the label look?"
"It was hand-written, and—"
"You fool!" he cried. "You, a government agent, would believe a hand-written label, especially when the criminal wrote it?"
Blaze blushed slightly. "We have to take everything seriously," she muttered. "And besides, I know you have stocks of such a smokescreen here. You're a criminal, so why should I trust you?"
"You can look through my entire stock of smokescreens and I assure you that you will not find any capsules that would resemble this one. That thief is clearly trying to mislead you!"
"Blaze, what if he's right?" Amy said suddenly.
Blaze thought for a moment. "Well, I guess we don't," she said finally. "So I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to take you into custody—"
"What! But I—"
"—until it's confirmed whether or not you are guilty."
"But I told you what I could! You can't go back on that deal!"
"First of all, Hernandez, I can do whatever I want. I'm the one with the gun. Second of all, I'm not the type of person to go against a deal, nor have I. You didn't tell me what I wanted to know, so I can bring you in to the CIA. Boy, I can just imagine the promotion—"
Suddenly, the door below them exploded. Sonic, Tails, and Cream came flying out, followed by several guards. The guards began firing relentlessly at their targets, and missed every time. It only took Sonic and the others a matter of a few seconds to dispatch of the guards. After doing so, all three turned to look at Blaze, who continued to hold Hernandez at gunpoint.
"All right, Blaze!" Sonic shouted. "So did he tell you anything yet?"
"Yes, actually," she said. "He told me that we have just wasted several hours in Canada. That label was a fake, designed to throw us off the thief's trail."
"Do you believe him?" Sonic asked with an eyebrow raised.
"It does make sense though," Blaze replied. "I had a feeling that label might have been a fake."
"So, what are we going to do with him?" Tails asked curiously, pointing to Hernandez.
Blaze smiled. "We're taking him back to Washington. Come on, Raul."
He grumbled as he was escorted out of his own warehouse by his rival to the airport, all the while enduring stares of amazement and anger.