A couple of weeks have passed since the mob boss gathering. During that time, police officers littered the streets of Westopolis in order to scrounge up any kind of evidence that they could find. Several unfortunate people were questioned and only a few of them were 'caught in the act' so to say. Even after the investigations started to die down, you couldn't walk a single block in Westopolis without seeing a man in uniform.
Some women found that to be a good thing. Among other peace loving folks but you hopefully get the drift.
The death toll for that day reached into the 500's. That number came from those that got caught up in the bomb explosion at the restaurant, those involved in the case on the main highway and any other innocents that were unfortunately at the wrong place at the wrong time. That only gave officials more incentive to find anyone suspicious. So much, that Westopolis had a temporary lockdown.
So as usual, Shadow stayed low in his hideout when the cops were out and about in the city. There were a couple of things he did while he was in his hideout. First, he increased his hate for authority. For some reason, his area in Westopolis just so happened to be crawling with the most police activity. That meant anyone who wanted his services in particular would automatically be questioned.
It really didn't help that most of his clients looked shady most of the time. Being inconspicuous was practically a given if you wanted to hire his services. But that didn't mean to ignore the part where you could be subtle. There was a reason why he could only be contacted in a bar, after all.
Humans never realized that he actually did a favor for them for being situated in a bar in the first place.
The second reason was wondering about that Bronkoff character.
"Join me, Crimson. Join me and let us rule this underground world together."
He made that goal sound like it was so easy. Like he was absolutely sure he was going to do it. Shadow supposed that those who have nothing else to lose would be engrossed in that kind of ideal. After all, if they were willing to stoop that low, then life dealt them a terrible hand and had to survive by performing the ugly work. When Shadow looked at it that way, he supposed he should feel some sympathy for the poor humans that work under him.
…..right. As if he would feel sorry for humans.
But Shadow could at least recognize that they have some use. After all, for minor things that would be troublesome for him to do, the regular human would have no trouble doing. So he made a personal goal to establish a contact to keep an eye on Bronkoff. That sort of person would make anyone wary. The proverb 'baby on a roof' would work in this case so to say.
Speaking of contacts, he still didn't get into touch with his first one. With missions and other things on his mind, it nearly slipped him. Tomorrow would be Saturday, wouldn't it? Guess he had a plan for tomorrow. That was if he was able to get outside without getting noticed by cops. It wasn't the sheer fact that he would get caught by cops, he'd shoot himself before that happened. It was actually the third reason of what he was doing.
For that reason, Shadow stared at the heirloom sitting on a crate in the corner of his abode. He'd been contemplating on what to do with the thing. He wouldn't sell it because it turned out to be not just some pretty glass structure. Besides, Shadow had too much money as it was (which he wasstill thinking on what to do with it!).
There was the option of destroying it….yeah, let's throw that out. This dilemma actually let him with two options. He had to both keep this thing in his hideout and protect like his late client wanted him to. Or he would return it to the family that properly cherished it in the first place.
Shadow stared into the constructed gold eyes of the dragon. For a fleeting moment, he wished that the dragon would actually give him a sign as to what it wanted. To remain as some kind of display to brighten up his dreary hideout a bit or go to back to the Yi-ang family. Then it disappeared and Shadow decided to let someone else to make the decision for him.
So he rose from his meditative position and took the briefcase in hand. He decided to go back to the restaurant and find someone from that family. Either a relative of the former mob boss or the next person in charge of the family. If he didn't find either well…he stared at the heirloom one more time before leaving with a single thought in his mind.
'The builders will never understand how their creations truly feel'.
XXXXX
Shadow looked at the remains of what used to be the restaurant owned by the Yi-ang family. He was on top of an apartment building across from it because aside from the usual cop, the place didn't get fully rebuilt yet. This meant that the family either relocated or never got around to find people to rebuild the place. Or maybe they'd lay low like he did.
Either way, he was out of luck over here. Those damn cops just had to get in the way.
Looks like he would be conducting his own mini search. Shouldn't be too hard. He knew Westopolis like the back of his head…or spine or whatever. And he was a streak of crimson when he whizzed pass people.
XXXX
For nearly 3 hours, Shadow skated through Westopolis as he searched for a member of the Yi-ang family. True to his moniker, he made sure that he traveled at speeds that leaved a streak of crimson in the streets he burned pavement on.
And not once did he find anyone related to his search. It didn't help that he vaguely remembered other people that were actually there at the meeting. He figured the task was going to be hard but this just upped the difficulty. So he stopped at an intersection to gather his thoughts for a moment.
Maybe he could go into random bars and get some sort of lead on where the family was hiding. He doubted he would get any info from his bar. For one, it was on the other side of Westopolis so the patrons probably wouldn't know. The bartender might know but he didn't get his hopes up. One random day, he asked the guy if he knew any free spaces to set his business in. Without a word, he led him to that basement and did nothing more. From there, Shadow just assumed he wordlessly acquiesced his demands because he no other use for the space.
Then Shadow learned later on that the bartender was mute. At first, he gave it a moment of thought then just carried on as usual. Now it just made him plain curious now. How was that man able to keep his business going by not talking at all? Sometimes, if he concentrated enough, he would hear some of the noisier patrons complain about the service or whatever. Hell, a couple of times he had to go up there just to silence them because he couldn't meditate.
No, he didn't kill anyone because of this reason…but he was oh so tempted to do it. But it was unnecessary. His sheer presence made people seal their lips. Guess for that reason, he felt as if he repaid his debt to him. He kept his location a secret and he kept the noisy crowds away.
So lost in his thoughts that Shadow almost got touched by a random thing. As soon as his arm was touched, he threw the heirloom in the air, twisted the man's arm and kicked him in the face. Due to the force of said kick, the man heard a nasty sound from his back as he slumped on the ground. He almost welcomed darkness when the collar of his shirt was pulled and in seconds, his face met blood red.
"Talk or die."
"I swear I wasn't trying to kill you! I was trying to get your attention because you didn't hear me yelling at you. I saw our family's heirloom and I wanted to know where you got it from!"
Oh. He simply had so much on his mind that he detached himself from reality. Just showed how much he meditated on a daily basis. But what a coincidence to find a family member here of all places. So much time wasted however….anyways.
"You will lead me to your current leader. Now."
The man could only nod before he got up and lead the hedgehog to his leader. All the while suppressing the urge to run for his life.
XXXXX
Shadow stared at the hideout…well, backroom casino he was led to. Humans really did have surprises now and then. He was very skeptical when he followed the guy into a supermarket. A supermarket of all places. The amount of stares he got really made him feel on edge. Then he was led to a back room hidden in the manager's office which leads him here.
Honestly, the word casino was over evaluating the place. It just looked that way because of the lights down here. A row of light bulbs assembled the ceilings along with the purple carpet with a strange pattern to it. In the center of the room was a pool table with all of the billiards in its holder along with a couch and wide screen TV. A retro game machine was placed in a corner down there but it didn't look like it was used in ages.
"This way. The boss is in that room."
Shadow followed the man pass the other two guards stationed by the door into a room that was more modest than the other. There were two bookshelves on either side standing in front of the standard white wall and random pictures of people in dress suits and cigars in their mouths. Probably family members.
In front of him was a wooden table in some papers on it. But the main attraction was the person sitting on a leather chair. Surprisingly, it was a woman who looked like she was in her early to mid-thirties. Her face composed of dark brown eyes, ivory skin, pouty lips painted with red lipstick and a pointy chin. Her hair was a coffee brown wrapped into a tight bun that matched her eyes. With a floral kimono and a brown choker, the woman looked pleasing to any man's eye. But that wasn't why Shadow was here.
"Boss, this is Crimson. Your father hired him before…"
"I understand." Her voice was soft but had a firm undertone. "So you are Crimson Streak. My father used to speak about you when our family would have their meetings." She stared at Shadow again for a few moments before her soft voice filled the room again. "Please leave us for a few moments. There are private matters that I must discuss with Crimson now." Acquiescing to her boss, the man left the room to give them their privacy. Once he had, the atmosphere in the office became somewhat tense. This was because one party was wary of the other. Shadow more so than the other.
"You know, I honestly thought you were some human who liked the color red mixed with black." Damn it, every single time. "But when I look into your eyes, the doubt dissipates. I see…destruction…dominance…darkness…and a hidden emotion."
"What?"
"There is something deep within you. I cannot read it exactly, but it is there. Regardless, the external qualities define you right now. Before I move forward, allow me to introduce myself. I am Lianxi Yi-ang, second heir to the Yi-ang dynasty. Normally, my older brother would be the one you would be conversing with. But when I was speaking to him…" Her expression turned into a sad one. "He no longer cared for this family. He only cares about ending Bronkoff's life. When I stared in his eyes, he was resolute in doing it. And no matter how much I tried to talk him out of it…" She composed herself before talking again. "Anyways, you are not here to be a victim to my venting. You're here because you hold our family's heirloom."
Her pointed stare silently asked him to put it on the table. So he did and she stared at it with an almost faraway look. The dragon, while unmoving, continued to look as graceful as ever.
'When I look at you, your mother and this heirloom, I feel blessed to be surrounded by such beautiful treasures.'
Her father told her over and over how beautiful she looked when she was younger. She just took it at face value because it wasn't hard to see that she was in fact beautiful. But maturing over the years led her to see the true meanings of her father's sayings. After all, if you are beautiful, people wanted to capture said beauty for themselves. That could be said for men that wanted to court her, oppurtunists that wanted to take over her family and other such things.
But she owed it to her beloved father to make sure this beauty stays eternal in her family. That was her goal along with making her family prominent again.
"I thank you for taking care of the heirloom for us. It will be in our safe hands for as long as possible."
"Then my business is done." Shadow turned to leave but a sharp "Wait!" made him stop and bare one crimson eye to the current leader.
"There is one other thing I wanted to discuss. You and I both know how dangerous Bronkoff can be. In the state our family is in, we can't afford to compete without losing our members swiftly. Therefore, I ask for your assistance in this matter."
Shadow stared at her a while contemplating the question for what is worth. Then we walked to the door again and opened it halfway. "I'm only a mercenary. My loyalty isn't tied to one sole thing. But I will agree with you. Bronkoff needs to be watched. At all times." Having said his piece, Shadow left.
Lianxi stared at him as he left. That hidden emotion…was it something that he suppressed? Was it something he tried not to show to the world? It would be understandable if you look at the dark reality of how this world functions. But it did make her curious. And the next time they meet, she decided, her eyes will report to her everything that is Crimson Streak.
Because from his own eyes, the future looked so bleak.
XXXX
Elizabeth looked into her own reflection in the pond of Station Square Park. It looked…happy. A bit stressed from her profession, but happy nonetheless.
Her move to Station Square turned out to be the right decision. She only wished that she convinced Eliza to move here as well but her baby sister liked danger a bit too well. From scraping her knee as a child to almost winding up in the hospital from school fights, Eliza was truly her polar opposite.
Yet, secretly, both of them liked dominate personalities. Mother used to say that it ran in the family but Liz didn't believe that one bit. She had thoughts, but she truly believed that she didn't want that in her soul mate. She looked for a caring man, had proper morals, and a wish to raise a healthy family.
Then that went tumbling down when she met Crimson.
She almost got excited when he entered her thoughts. No matter how much she tried to deny it, every time she saw those piercing, blood red eyes in her dreams, she couldn't help but…settle the feeling.
"You actually come here." She gasped loudly when she heard that smooth voice. "Glad this wasn't a waste of time."
Liz looked into those eyes…and regretted it. 'I'm going to the laundry later.' There before her, Crimson stood with his firm expression and arms crossed.
"Y-yes. I come here every Saturday to relax for a bit. And of course, hold up my end of the deal."
"What info do you have for me?"
Liz cleared her throat before answering. "There's not much to tell about the events in this city. Compared to Westopolis, the crime rate is small. And that is because of Sonic the Hedgehog."
"Who is that?"
She widened her eyes for a moment. He didn't know about Sonic? Everyone knew about the blue bomber. "Sonic is revered here for the heroic deeds performed. Sonic is the only one who stops from taking over the world. By the way, Sonic stopped one of his plots just last week. The people around here are used to this so they take proper action when needed."
Shadow absorbed this piece of info for a moment before he spoke again. "Anything else?"
"Afraid not. I could continue to keep an eye out-"
"I want you to find out everything you can about a man named Adrian Bronkoff. Have it for me by next month."
Before Liz responded, Crimson was gone. She sighed at the feeling he left her with. Liz never slept well that night.
XXXX
"Was that?"
A random, rust colored robot stared at the spot Shadow just stood. He looked familiar at first. Then when he left the scene, the speed that it exhibited….
"I must report this to Lord Eggman."
