Unusual Encounters:

Chapter Twenty: Vector and Storm

Suggested by TheHunterPersian

It started rather simply.

It was a large gathering, so of course things were going to get a bit wild, maybe a bit heated.

Especially considering the fact that there were several very hot-headed and brash people in the same yard together.

So from the start, something a bit reckless was bound to happen.

And it finally happened.

In the midst of the generally indistinguishable chatter in the yard, there suddenly arose two voices in particular that began to stand out among the rest.

Gradually, as the other voices subsided to better hear the two, the words being said became loud and clear.

"If you don't stop talking that way about my boss, I'm gonna- I'm gonna- I'm gonna have to fight you!"

"Well,if your boss hadn't approached me and made fun of my business, maybe I wouldn't have started!"

"If you hadn't uh- bumped into him in such a mean way-"

"Ugh, shut up. I didn't even do that on purpose." The crocodile crossed his arms and refused to think otherwise.

"Uh, yes you did!" The albatross crossed his arms and refused to think otherwise.

The others gathered around were, in an uncivil sort of way, waiting in slight anticipation of whatever was going to follow this dispute.

"I mean, I wasn't going to mention anything until you just knocked into me, and it was clear that you could see me," Jet added. He wasn't going to bother to get into much of a fight, but he wouldn't mind if Storm was going to do the heavy-lifting for him. He appreciated those things the most about Storm.

"Actually, I couldn't. It's just a common mistake. Ya must be pretty stuck up if you think I've got nothin' better to do than bump into you. I spilled my drink because of it, too."

"I don't see how someone who's literal job is to be alert and pay attention could hit into a rather tall green hawk and it not be on purpose," Jet retorted.

'Well it was and if ya don't believe me, that's your problem."

"Hey! If you don't apologize to the boss, I'm going to have to make ya!" Storm said, with an eagerness in his voice that showed he would just as easily follow through.

Wave, groaning overdramatically at the situation, finally got Jet's attention. "All this, over being bumped into?"

For once in his life, Espio, on the opposite side of the crowd, nodded at her in appreciation.

"Well, I would stop him, but I'm bored and it's something to do, ok?" Jet replied.

Wave had no words for him, but she did leave the area, so her thoughts were clear.

"You aren't going to make me apologize for anything, jerk," Vector huffed in Storm's direction.

"Yeah?" And in one fell swoop, Storm had punched the crocodile in the gut.

Vector landed, back-first, onto the grass and for an anxious moment he seemed dazed in the shock.

"Ya really just did that." He finally commented.

"I-I did." His very mind, it seemed, began to sweat. He had just gotten himself into an actual full-fledged fight, to be sure. And while he was sure he was strong enough for it, (and he considered the cause of protecting Jet's dignity a very high honor), he realized how nervous he was to actually commit to it.

With slight difficulty from the stupor, Vector stood up and glanced Storm in the eyes. In fact, he glanced at him with such sure ferocity that Storm backed up slightly, before realizing that, no, he had to do this. He had gotten this far, and for the honor of the Babylon Rogues, he was going to finish it.

He looked back at Vector with the same sort of power.

Espio, seeing what horror was about to ensue, rushed forward to Vector. "Wait, wait, I know it's hard to stop now, but you can. Maybe you can talk it out."

"I doubt that now," Vector said with only a slight glance Espio's way. He looked back up to Storm and asked," If I told you I didn't do it purposely and therefore I don't have to apologize, would you let me go?"

"Uhh, no. It's obviously not true," Storm said. There was a lot going through his mind at the moment, and trying to process it all at once left his (usually faulty) logic questionable.

"Ok then," Vector growled. Espio stepped aside again, absolutely refusing to get involved at that point. Sure, they both had a strong sense of dignity in their work, but did Vector have to show himself the most powerful when he could just show himself the most reasonable?

Both of their trademarks would look more foolish by following through in a fight anyway…

And Vector, ignorant to Espio's thoughts, made the first move.

He punched back at Storm, going straight for the beak. He didn't miss, either.

Even though the large bird dodged, his reflex reaction was delayed just enough to cause him injury.

The problem was, it didn't phase Storm for a minute. He immediately responded, punching back blindly, managing to land a fist in Vector's chest regardless.

The rest of the fight was a complicated, mostly blind scuffle with power. At one moment, the entire crowd of mobians in the yard watched in a horrified confusion of what to do. They decided, as quickly as a crowd can make decisions, that it would probably be safest to watch from the safety of the deck. Amy, the hostess of this party, led this movement in dismay. Perhaps the Babylon Rogues had been a risky group to invite to a peaceful party…

It happened, at some point in the fight, that Vector and Storm realized that they had fought their way all the way to the fence of the yard, and at this point they were tired enough to contemplate moving for the sake of less property damage.

They gave each other the first glance in a while that showed an emotion other than rampage.

"Um...should we not?..." Storm asked.

"Yeah, bank account's not big enough for that…" Vector said.

They walked, beaten up pretty badly, though neither would admit it.

The party-goers on the deck looked on with hope at this moment. It didn't last long.

As soon as they'd gotten back to the spot in the middle of the yard, they headed at it again.

Amy sipped at her fruit punch and looked away.

As the arms began flying, the fists throwing, the chests heaving, it was then; for certain, that Vector began to see that this fight was stupid.

It was then, for certain, that Storm saw that this fight was going nowhere, no matter how he tried.

It was just that neither of them wanted to admit defeat and stop.

"You know, for someone with such a big snout, ya don't seem to use it too well," Storm panted, still engaging in the brawl despite his mind's wandering.

"And what d'ya mean by that?" Vector hissed.

"Ya coulda just apologized, and then I wouldn't have had ta do this!" Throwing yet another hit.

"For something I didn't intentionally do? Ya must think I'm pretty stupid." And even though he missed, it didn't phase him.

"Uggghhh just admit it! The boss said you did." Blocking a punch with his arms and preparing his own attack all at once.

"You've got to learn to be a bit more independent, don't cha?" And, out of nowhere, he stepped back.

Storm stumbled forward and barely caught himself from faceplanting. "What- what was that for?"

"We've gotta stop. I think I've proven enough, and ya aren't going to get me to 'apologize' by fighting like that anyway," Vector said. He tried to ignore the ache in his muscles and pretended that wasn't the true reason.

"You really think you can just get away with it like that?" Storm roared. He was aching pretty bad too, but the fact that the other still had the strength to talk back at him and his team was enough to keep him going. Slightly more than enough.

"No. But I'm done fighting you. It's over." Vector walked off, obviously painfully, but he held his head up high because at least he had made himself look slightly tough in the way that he handled the end.

Storm followed him regardless. "Hey! Wait! You can't just do that!"

"Already did." He attempted to walk up the deck steps, desperately wishing for some water.

Storm had already pulled him back by the wrist before he could get there.

Vector turned around to him, and with a sigh and a decided look, he shook his head. "Look, what's your name again? Strom?"

"Storm," the albatross corrected, momentarily distracted from his vengeance goal.

"Right. And your team...the Baby-Long Rags?"

"Babylon Rogues."

"Right. And what do you guys do again?"

"Extreme Boarding, of course. We're the best around, idiot. And also, Jet's the Legendary Wind Master. So you're bound to have heard of him. And we're rogues, of course, treasure hunters, sorta-"

"Interesting. Well, just wanted to check. You all do give off the vibe of extreme boarders. Pretty sure I went up against you all a little bit before. Interesting times. Nice team." With that, he walked off again.

Storm watched him walk away, wondering to himself about the randomness of the comment.

So much so that he forgot what his previous thoughts had been, and walked up the stairs back to his team, calm as ever.

"Nice job out there, Storm," Jet said, with a smirk that usually meant he was amused.

That was always a good thing, according to Storm's mind, and so he smiled back and nodded. "Oh yeah, I did do pretty well, didn't I?"

"Of course."

Wave rolled her eyes at the two of them, and Storm tried to reason out a reason why, but nothing really came to mind.

And so he left it at that.

A/N: I do really like Storm's character. I might explore it more in-depth in a later story, but for this interaction Itried to keep it more on the simpler side.

This is the last chapter I will be doing for this story for awhile, as I go to focus on another multi-chapter of mine. I do plan to return and write more though, sometime in the future. Hopefully with stronger plots and more interesting takes, if I can help it.

Hopefully you've enjoyed what I have here so far. ^-^