Miles gritted his teeth and dug his claws into the arms of the chair as the needle once again pierced his skin, thankfully for the last time.
The human doctor who was treating him finally cut the thread. "All done, Mr. Prower. The stitches should come off in three to five days."
Miles unrolled his sleeve, covering the stitched cut. "Thanks, doc."
"If you like, I can also take a look at your nose." The doctor requested.
The fox just walked towards the door. "No need. It's fine." He said without turning back. He opened the door and walked out of the room. He hated hospitals. Being in a building full of sick people, some fighting for their lives whilst others are giving birth to it, at the same time someone in the next room screaming in agony… it was all too traumatizing and the fox wanted to leave the place as soon as possible.
He found Gareth sitting on a chair, talking amiably on his phone. No doubt talking to one of his hookers, Miles thought with a huff. When the squirrel saw him, he hung up. "You all set?"
Miles partially rolled up his sleeve, showing Gary a portion of the stitched wound. "Yeah. Let's go."
They left the hospital and Gareth was driving them home in his Mercedes Benz c300 coupe. However, he noticed that his partner had a distant look on his face and was staring out the window as if he was in thought.
"Hey, Miles, is something bugging you?"
Something was bugging Miles and it was in the form of that Mobian girl he ran into at the factory. He just could not get her out of his mind. When she pinned him down and when their eyes met, he thought he felt something familiar. As if he had seen her before.
"Hey, Miles!" Gareth repeated himself, this time taking his hand of the gear to smack the fox on the shoulder.
Miles jumped, startled. He turned to the squirrel, an annoyed expression on his face. "What?"
"I was asking if something was bugging you." Gary answered. "Though, judging by your response, I'd say something actually is."
Miles sighed. "I had a little run in with one of the criminals at the factory."
Gary just scoffed. "So? What did he do to you that has you all glum?"
Miles sighed. He knew if he told Gary that he got his ass kicked by a girl, the squirrel would never let him live it down. Gary was a stickler for maintaining what he called a "manly image". So a beating from a girl definitely did not affiliate with the squirrel's idea of being manly. As long as he left that part out then he was in the clear.
"She… kind of reminded me of someone."
"Wait. She?" Gary instantly perked up at the mention that it was a female. "Was she pretty?"
Miles just rolled his eyes. "Seriously, dude?"
The squirrel smirked. "You know me all too well, Miles."
Tails just sighed in disgust. His partner's salacious behavior was something he did not tolerate, much less talk about. He decided to change the subject. "What really puzzles me is that the criminals never entered the city. Not one of the roadblocks reported encountering a convoy of trucks."
"Then it's obvious they're set up outside of Mobotropolis." Gareth put in.
"Yeah. But the question is: where?" Miles asked, more to himself than to Gary.
After another spell of silence, Gary spoke up again. "So, who did she remind you of?"
Miles sighed with nostalgia. "Fiona."
Gareth wanted to scoff but when he saw the look on Miles' face, he knew he was not kidding around. "Alright, Miles. I believe you." The fox turned to him with a puzzled look so he continued. "About Fiona, I mean. Seeing you talk about her like this makes me believe that she really was your first girlfriend and that you popped her-"
"Alright, I get it!" Miles interrupted him before he could go further. "Right now, I want to figure out who the leader of that whole operation is."
The squirrel pulled over. They had arrived at Miles' apartment. "That's something you'll find out from our prisoner tomorrow. As of right now, go get some rest."
The fox got out and shut the door. "Please don't mother me, Gary." He turned and walked to the door.
"Good night to you too, Miles." Gareth called out and drove away.
-X-X-X-
Scourge walked into the parking lot of the base, hands clasped behind his back and a conquering smile on his face. He surveyed the opened trailers of the semis, gazing upon the spoils of the team's thievery. This was what the green hedgehog always liked: a job well done.
He approached Snide, who had his back turned. "Well done, Snide. You managed to secure the goods." The hedgehog patted the coyote on the back. "I hope you did not encounter any problems or obstacles along the way."
Snide turned and faced Scourge and the hedgehog was surprised to see the crestfallen look on his face. He instantly knew something had gone wrong.
"What happened?" Scourge asked with a frown.
Snide began to explain. "Well… everything went according to plan in the first place. Until we ran into a… small group of agents… and…" he began to lose his voice.
"Go on." Scourge goaded, his voice tainted with an edge of malice.
The coyote continued. "We managed to repel them. But as we made our getaway, one of the trucks was stopped."
Scourge silently nodded and Snide did not know if that meant he was off the hook or would be punished later.
"So out of eleven trucks, only ten made it." It was not a question, nor was Scourge addressing him. Then out of nowhere, he suddenly bellowed. "Get these trucks to the hanger!" He pointed to a tunnel on the other side of the parking lot.
One by one, the trucks were driven out the garage through the tunnel. Soon enough, only Scourge and Snide were alone in the garage.
"I thought you said you never encountered any problems during the mission." Scourge said, his voice tainted with a low growl.
Snide tried to keep his voice devoid of any traces of fear. "That was before I called you. Afterwards, these B.R.U.T.E. Force agents showed up."
Scourge turned his head away, his mind deep in thought. Then he turned to the coyote. "Tell everyone to gather in the lab. I would like to address a few issues regarding the execution of your missions."
-X-X-X-
Fiona lay on her bed with a restless feeling about her. Her mind was jumping for joy, various thoughts coursing through it.
She saw him. After six years, she finally saw Miles again.
Fiona was surprised that he had chosen to become a B.R.U.T.E. Force agent. She thought that with his high IQ and skills in technology, he would probably become a leading scientist or a big shot CEO of some techno company he would form himself. But she remembered a conversation she previously had with him regarding his –or in that case, their- future after they stop Robotnik and he had said that after all that he had experienced, he would find a white collar job boring. She definitely got the point there but seeing him as a B.R.U.T.E. Force agent tonight was really unexpected.
The vixen found herself fantasizing about him more than usual. Mostly it was about his looks. He had obviously grown but he had also gotten more muscular. Before, he was a bit scrawny but he still looked sexy. No doubt some women give him flirtatious glances.
Speaking of women, she was curious: did he have a girlfriend? After six years, there sure was not a chance that he would stay single. Maybe he was already married. The very thought of him sharing a bed with another woman made her blood boil with rage. And it would be all thanks to that bitch Sally Fiona thought with a growl. That thought fuelled her desire for revenge.
She banished those thoughts however, for there was a rather loud knock at her door. With an exasperated growl, she trudged to the door to answer it.
Snide stood there with a stern look on his face. "Scourge has called a meeting in the lab. He expects all of us to be present. Now." The coyote spoke in a no-nonsense tone, Fiona might have mistaken him for a by-the-book school principal.
"What is it about?" Fiona asked.
Snide shrugged. "I don't know. You'll find out soon enough. Now chop-chop! Let's go." He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the hallway. The vixen tried to wrench her arm free but he had a vice-like grip on her wrist. He disregarded the fact that she was dressed in only a vest and short shorts. She was also barefooted.
Fiona was a bit surprised as to why the coyote was being very loutish. She felt like a traitor being dragged to her certain doom. Wait a minute…
The vixen's eyes went wide when the realization dawned on her. Did someone see her little moment with Miles back in the factory? Did they tell Scourge about it? The hedgehog had made it clear that if they encountered anyone during the mission who was a hindrance, then they should not hesitate to kill that person. She had Miles at her mercy, yet she did not kill him. Maybe someone saw her do that and reported it to Scourge. He would probably perceive that as treachery and have her executed in front of everyone.
-X-X-X-
"Come on, Fiona." Snide grunted. "You know Scourge doesn't like to be kept waiting." They had arrived at the lab and that was when he let go of her wrist. The coyote shut the door behind him and proceeded to his seat.
Fiona nervously sat at the back, which was a mistake; Nack was seating there as well. As soon as he saw her, a sickening grin spread across his face as he noticed her skimpy attire.
The weasel let out a wolf whistle. "I thoughts this was a meeting and not a striptease." He then expected a sharp reply in return but did not get one. "Aw what's this? The little vixens lost her sharp tongue?"
But Fiona was not paying any attention to him. Her blood ran cold when she saw Scourge stand in front of the large monitor.
Scourge's sharp eyes scanned the entire group. When he saw Fiona in the back, he gave a small smile. "Now that everyone is here, let us begin. Before I sent you out on that mission in Polworts, I overlooked a certain recurring issue due to my pride. It was something that Mr. Tarlini warned me about but I chose not to listen. And because of that, it has cost us." He cracked his knuckles and then continued. "You lost a truck carrying some of the metal and the driver. Now some of you might think one truck is barely a loss but I assure you it is. I want Project Cerberus launched as soon as possible and that means getting all the necessary materials without a hitch."
The hedgehog smiled when he saw some of the group murmur and nod in understanding, fully grasping his point. He spoke up again. "Another thing I want to address."
Fiona, who was becoming more at ease as Scourge spoke, suddenly went rigid in her seat again. Was he finally going to expose her? If that was the case, then she would be hopelessly overwhelmed when everyone in the room turns on her.
"Do not hesitate to terminate anyone who interferes in this project. This brings me to what Mr. Tarlini warned me about: the constant interference from the law. Mainly B.R.U.T.E. Force." He turned to the mob boss. "What was the name of that agent you told me about?"
"Miles Prower." Tarlini replied.
Fiona instantly perked up at the mention of his name. She did not know that Miles could be such a source of irritation for Tarlini. That quickly put her mind at ease, knowing that he was not talking about her. Which meant he did not know what she did at the factory.
"Yeah. Him. I have been told that he has always been a ball and chain to Tarlini's operations. And now since he obviously knows that we are all working together, he is also gonna be a ball and chain to our operations as well. So, I have decided to issue a task for each and every one of you." Scourge once again turned to Reggio. "Give us a description of Miles Prower."
"He's a yellowish orange fox with two tails." was the brief description Tarlini offered.
That was all Scourge needed. "So he has an easily distinguishable feature: two tails. He shouldn't be too hard to find. So these are your instructions: if you see a two tailed fox anywhere on the streets of Mobotropolis, do not hesitate to kill him."
Everyone nodded in understanding. Fiona had a confident smirk on her face. "Good luck with that." She sarcastically whispered. Miles had survived a lot in his life so she was sure this would not be a problem for him.
"What was that, sweet cheeks?" Nack said, leaning towards Fiona's seat. "You wants to knows me better?" the weasel rubbed his hand on Fiona's thigh "Coz I can shows you better."
The vixen quickly reacted, grabbing his hand and twisting it painfully. Nack yelped in pain, attracting everyone's attention in the room. Fiona however did not care. She adjusted herself in her seat and kicked out at the weasel whist letting go of his hand. Nack fell to the floor with a loud thud.
"Trust me, I've had better." Fiona stood up. "Are we done here?"
Scourge shook his head. "No. There is one more thing I forgot and that is the most important thing."
Everyone turned their attention back to Scourge and Fiona resumed her seat with an annoyed huff. Nack picked himself up from the floor and massaged his hand.
"Project Cerberus must remain secret until it is fully operational." Scourge began. "And since one of our own was captured and is now in B.R.U.T.E. Force custody, he risks spilling out our secrets. And the location of this base. That problem must be dealt with at once."
Kukku XV raised an eyebrow. "Problem?"
Scourge walked towards a door. He opened it and then turned to the group. "Let this be a lesson to all of you of what happens if you get caught." Before they could ask him what he meant, the green hedgehog sped away, leaving behind a green blur.
-X-X-X-
All was quiet at B.R.U.T.E. Force HQ. Well, with the exception of the constant whistling of Larry, the mongoose janitor. He was busy mopping the floor closer to the holding cell door. A loud banging from the heavy steel door interrupted him.
"Hey! Would you fucking stop that?!" The crook inside the cell yelled. That was all he had been doing from the moment they patched him up at the infirmary and brought him there. A cranky fellow, he was.
"Why don't you come out here and make me?" Larry retorted. "Oh yeah, that's right. You can't. So shut the fuck up and think about your actions." The janitor chuckled to himself as he heard a loud bang from inside the cell followed by a series of profanities.
Larry moved on to the offices, still whistling his tune.
Once again, all was quiet.
As Larry continued his work, he felt a gust of wind blow past him. Which was practically illogical since all the windows in the building were closed. Then he heard the sound of a door opening. It sounded like a heavy steel door. The janitor gasped.
The door to the holding cell.
-X-X-X-
When the whistling died down, the crook was sure that annoying janitor had left.
His ears perked up once more as he heard a sound. It was not whistling but rather, it sounded like a wind. And it came from right outside the door, as if the door led directly to windy outdoors.
Then the crook heard the sound of the cell door's lock unlocking. This surprised him. Didn't they say his interrogation was tomorrow?
The door opened fully and Scourge appeared. He had a blank expression on his face.
"Scourge!" The crook exclaimed. Then he broke into a smile. "Come to bust me out?"
Scourge shook his head. "No." He bluntly replied. "You'll serve as an example." Seeing the crook's confused face, he continued. "I'll make this quick."
Before the crook could ask any more questions, Scourge moved in and it was done.
-X-X-X-
Larry dropped his mop and ran back to the cell. As expected, he found it open. Fear gripped his heart with the realization that a potentially dangerous criminal was on the loose in the building. But being a brave Mobian, he slowly approached the door.
He heard sounds coming from the cell. This was followed by a snapping sound that made him wince. Then a green blur blew past him, causing a gust of wind that blew the papers off their desks.
Larry was wide eyed at what he had just seen. But now, his focus once again returned to the holding cell. He took slow quiet steps towards the door, as if he was sneaking up on someone. He may have been brave but he was still apprehensive. He got to the door and peaked in.
What he saw made him gasp and he nearly threw up."Oh, shit!"
-X-X-X-
A/N: I suffered a massive block with this chapter. Just happy I got it done before December. Anyway, please read and review
J.W.H. 10
