Ah, the joys of updating a story on time.
Anyway, latest chapter of FntS and I seem to be lacking in anything amusing to say...
That being the case, just read and enjoy.
The city streets went by in a blur as they drove through towards the hospital. Cassie was sitting in the passenger seat flicking through the case file and a few other folders she had picked up before meeting Shadow.
"You're right, that does look very similar." She said as she examined a trio of photographs of three different wrists. One was the wrist of the black Crow, their first corpse in this investigation; the second was that of the torn wrist of the green Rabbit Paul Metha'as, although neither Agent believed that was his real name. The third was a photograph of a deceased Mongoose John Doe who Shadow had killed during the theft of the Crow. "And if my guess is right, all three of these guys were part of the same cult."
Shadow reached over and took the pictures from her hands, glancing down at them when he was driving on a clear straight. He frowned. "I've never heard of a cult like this before."
"Me neither." Cassie admitted. "Eyes on the road Shadow!"
"Whoa!" He twitched the steering wheel to dodge another driver who had decided to pull into their lane without checking their mirrors.
"Watch it you moron!" Cassie yelled at the offending driver.
"You know he can't hear you right?" Said Shadow, rubbing his ringing ear. Cassie folded her arms and leaned back in her seat.
"I know, but it makes me feel better."
"Can we get back to the case?" He asked, handing back the pictures. Cassie slid them back into the folder and drew out a sheet of paper.
"I took the liberty of running a search through the image archives for similar tattoos or markings in other cases, and a few popped up from a case six years ago." Shadow raised an eyebrow and looked sidelong at her. "You weren't around, I know and I wasn't even in the Army back then, but it was all over the news."
She handed the file to Shadow. "It was called 'The Assassins Dance'. For three months bodies were appearing everywhere, killed by either gunshot or knife. The thing that made it so newsworthy was that every victim was a John or Jane Doe. Very few records of the victims were ever found."
"Was anyone arrested during the investigation?" Shadow asked, skim reading the file resting on the steering wheel.
"Well yeah. Loads of people were arrested but no-one was charged. It's one of the black marks in GUN history."
"Only one?" Shadow scoffed.
"I know you've got something of a bad history with GUN, but you can't fault the fact that we do everything we can to protect the people." Shadow opened his mouth to object but Cassie waved him down. "I also know that GUN has had shady dealings and operations in the past, and for all I know the higher ups could be in the middle of something just as dark and sinister. But for all the bad press GUN gets, we do what the Police and the Army aren't capable of."
"Maybe, but on that note though, there's a lot of regulations we have to watch out for." Shadow noted, adding his own foresight to the conversation.
"True. When I was in the forces I didn't have to worry about as much red tape, but at the same time I didn't have as much freedom to interpret my orders. At least with GUN I can get things done my way." Shadow chuckled at her words.
"I can relate to that. You're given a mission and told to get it done, any way necessary." Cassie laughed lightly.
"Yeah. Although I do sometimes wonder what things would've been like if I had stayed in the forces." She said solemnly.
"Well I for one am glad you joined GUN." Said Shadow as he handed back the file.
"Thanks Shadow. Coming from you, that means a lot." She replied with a smile.
"How did we get onto that train of thought anyway?" Shadow questioned, turning the car into the Hospital car park. Cassie laughed.
"I have no idea." She said jovially. Shadow grinned as he manoeuvred his vehicle between two parked cars. "Just another case to be solved I guess."
"Come on, I want to see what Rouge and Sheba make of this." They both walked through the doors and up to the reception desk. Even in these early hours of the day there were a fair number of people, human and anthro, waiting to be seen for their various ailments and injuries.
"Quiet day so far." Cassie mumbled to her partner, nodding her head in the direction of those waiting. Shadow stood before the receptionist and cleared his throat.
"Rouge the Bat and Sheba Keyes." He said a demanding tone in his voice. The Antelope sitting behind the computer raised his hand and continued typing at his computer. The two Agents looked at each other and Cassie leaned forward.
"Excuse me, but we're-"
"One minute." He interrupted, his eyes never leaving the computer screen. Shadow and Cassie looked at each other again, annoyance written on their faces. Simultaneously they pulled out their GUN badges and thrust them underneath the Antelope's nose. He stopped typing immediately, and stared wide eyed at their badges before looking up at them slightly fearfully.
"Agent Shadow and this is my partner Agent Rahna, where can we find Rouge the Bat and Sheba Keyes?"
After the initial rudeness of the Antelope had been overcome, he had in turn proved to be extremely helpful, giving them directions to the rooms of their friends and even offering to call an orderly to act as a guide, which they gratefully declined. As they stepped into the elevator and the doors slid closed behind them, Cassie broke into a broad grin.
"That was fun! I wonder what he's hiding." Shadow chuckled.
"Probably having an affair with one of the doctors." He said as the metal box began ascending.
"Aw, this one doesn't play music." Cassie commented, causing Shadow to snort in amusement.
Julie-Su jogged back through the Nocturn fortress in the direction of the military billets. She was intending to pick up a few things before heading out to find the Brotherhood of Guardians. Many thoughts were running through her mind as she went; how she was going to avoid the guards and if she couldn't, what excuse would she use to try and get past them? Should she contact her sister or should she wait until Knuckles was safe? She didn't want to put Shade at risk, but at the same time she had promised to call her should anything bad happen to Knuckles. She speed around a corner and slammed into someone, sending both of them to the floor.
She rubbed at her head and looked up at the person she had barged into her eyes widening in shock.
"High Praetorian Remington! Oh, please forgive me!" She cried, bowing her head in shame.
The brown furred echidna rubbed the small of his back and grimaced at the slight pain. He was wearing a dark green outfit with a black steel shoulder guard on his right shoulder, which had the green symbol of his rank etched into the metal and like many other Nocturn he had one of his dreadlocks enhanced with cybernetics. He looked at the offending echidna quizzically before breaking into a smile.
"Velite Julie-Su, where are you going in such a hurry?" He picked himself up and held out a hand to help her, which she accepted hesitantly. Remington was the young nephew of Procurator Lien-Da and the nephew of the Nocturnus clan leader, so Julie-Su naturally assumed that he had the same aggressive tendencies and foul disposition towards others.
"I'm sorry High Praetorian, I was returning to my billet. I left something important there." She answered quickly, looking down as she spoke, avoiding his eyes. Remington frowned.
"Please don't do that." Julie-Su looked up in surprise, an unsure expression on her face.
"I'm sorry?"
"And please, stop apologising. Just because I'm a High Praetorian doesn't mean I don't like casual conversations with others." His smile was friendly and his stance relaxed. "You're Shade's sister aren't you?"
Taken aback, it was a couple of moments before Julie-Su nodded. Remington rubbed the thickening fur of his chin.
"She's a very good warrior, but not very social. Very distant at times." He said thoughtfully. "You said you were heading towards your billet? Let me walk with you."
"But High Praetorian, I-" She was about to protest but was stopped by a raise hand.
"Please, call me Remington. You'll find I'm a bit different from my aunt." He half turned away and gestured down the corridor. Slowly Julie-Su began walking and he kept pace. "Whatever you forgot must be important to have you tearing around the fortress like that."
Julie-Su gnawed at her lower lip, unsure at how to proceed. She was walking with one of the highest ranked echidnas of her clan, an echidna many believed to be just as violent and short tempered as his aunt, but so far he had shown nothing of these traits.
"I've heard some good things about you Julie-Su." She looked at him and saw his smile. "Skilled in mechanics and one heck of a shot with that photon blaster."
Her gestured down at the weapon holstered at her hip. "You've modified it yourself haven't you? Twin-barrelled providing more firepower without loss to accuracy, correct?"
"Yes High Prae-" She noticed the look he gave her. "I mean, Remington. My sister tells me it's always a good thing to adapt and change."
Remington nodded his head. "And I agree. I was hoping that with our escape from the Twilight Cage, my father would command the Imperator and Lien-Da to allow soldiers to leave for a similar, non-militaristic life, but if anything, training sessions have become much more gruelling, disobedience is dealt with much more harshly and Dr. Zachary is churning out some very deadly looking weapons."
Julie-Su looked at the brown furred echidna beside her with a mixture of confusion and surprise. High Praetorian Remington, the son of Kragok, the leader of the Nocturnus clan, and one of the most skilled fighters in the entire military shared the same hopes and fears of her sister.
"You know, Shade thinks a lot like you do." She voiced her thoughts carefully. Remington looked at the pink echidna as they passed through an arch leading out into the military billets.
"Really? That would explain why she was always looking out for those under her charge." He said wishfully. "Ah, we appear to be here."
Julie-Su looked up to see they were outside her house. Remington turned to face her and smiled. "Thank you for walking with me Julie-Su, it has been a pleasure."
He bowed lightly to her and left, leaving her slightly baffled. She hurried into her home and quickly ran over to her cot. She pulled open a hidden compartment and dug around the various machines and contraptions she had build, looking for the special communicator she had created. With it she would be able to contact both her sister and all those on Knuckles' contact list.
"Aha! Found you!" She cried in triumph, emerging from the depth of the compartment holding a bulky device in her hands. She strapped it to her belt and kicked the compartment closed. As she dashed out she grabbed her long black cloak and slid her arms through the sleeves.
She jogged past other echidnas either coming or going from training sessions, guard duty or other jobs and headed towards one of the side entrances. With any luck she would be able to slip through without any trouble, and once she was far enough into the jungle, she would contact these Chaotix for Knuckles.
"Get back here you insect!" Espio the Chameleon, ninja, detective and hero for hire shook his head. Utilising his natural ability, he disappeared from sight and walked through the door and away from the madness.
Vector the Crocodile, leader of Team Chaotix and head of the Chaotix Detective Agency was currently chasing the youngest member around the flat which was the team's home and base of operations. The eccentric and continually hyper Charmy Bee had made one too many cracks about the Crocodile's taste in music and was now buzzing around their small home laughing his head off at Vector's attempts at catching him. Espio sighed as a crash and pained yelled followed him through the door.
He reappeared in the office and sat down in the large chair behind the only desk in the room. The desk and chair proved to be the only pieces of furniture in the entire office, and they were accompanied by an ancient, bulky computer which Charmy had 'salvaged' and an old rotary dial telephone which was older than any of them. He rubbed at his temple in an attempt to figure out how he had remained sane in the company of the others.
Just then the ancient telephone rang and he quickly picked it up before either Vector of Charmy heard it and began fighting over who would get to answer it. "Chaotix Detective Agency, how may we assist?"
"It actually worked!" Cried a distinctly feminine voice down the line. Espio slumped forwards on the desk.
"If this is a crank call, it is a very poor attempt." He moaned down the phone line, not bothering to cover up his annoyance.
"No no, I'm sorry. Is this um… Vector?" Another crash came from behind him and Espio groaned.
"No. You are speaking to the only one who gets things done around here." He growled.
"And who's that?"
"Espio. Now what is the meaning of your call?" He demanded.
"It's about Knuckles." Espio sat bolt upright.
"What about him?"
"He needs your help. My name's Julie-Su, and I need you to come to Angel Island as soon as you can. I'll meet you on the wooden bridge."
"How can I be sure this isn't a trick?" Espio questioned the caller.
"Please, you've got to believe me. I'll answer all your questions in person, just meet me at the bridge." The caller then disconnected, leaving the Chameleon to wonder whether to trust her or not.
Julie-Su attached the communicator to her belt once more and stood up from her hiding place amongst the bushes. She looked around for any signs that she was being followed and headed out in the direction of islands edge. From there she would be able to make her way around the island until she found the bridge Shade had told her about. She hoped that Espio would come and together they would find the Brotherhood of Guardians and then they would save Knuckles from his imprisonment. She set off with her hopes held high, finally feeling that she could make a difference.
I hope I got the Chaotix across correctly. Did quite a bit of research on Espio and I really hope it came out alright.
But enough about that.
What did you guys think?
Should I just focus on Shadow and Cassie solving this case, or do you like my tangents to other characters?
Corrupt TE, outta here!
