The first mission now awaits our secret team... and Tangle
"How's it hanging buddy?" asked Shard flying above the rocky terrains of Soumerca carrying Larry Lynx with a small ladder attached to him that led to a harness.
"F-F-Fine," replied the totally-not-scared chub below "Are w-we there y-y-yet?"
"C'mon, you can't deny this is all a bad thing" said a laid-back Tangle who was being carried by Silver's psychokinesis while he was flying right above her.
"It's beginning to feel like I spend more time here than in my own timeline," Silver thought "But if it means saving everyone then I'll do whatever it takes... Even joining these Freedom Fighters!"
A few hours earlier, in Secret HQ, the members of the team had all reunited on a circle-shaped table with a hologram device on the middle like an usual one would be. The Director Harvey Who standing explaining what their two missions were just going to be while showing in the holo the infamous Geoffrey St. John, the right hand and apprentice of Ixis Naugus, driving a speeder-scooter type of vehicle.
"...And our informant in the council says St. John is bound for Soumerca. We must know what's so important that Naugus would send his errand boy so far from his side," Harvey stated while pacing around "Agent Ace, will lead the team tracking St. John and secure a tracking device so we know his movements in the future. Agent King will will lead the team to investigate Naugus. Remember: Anonymity is your first line of defense, so use your call signs at any time. Any questions?"
"More like a reminder..." Silver raised his hand.
"I remember our deal. While you're away I will be going over your notes and will identify the 'traitor' you're hunting for, I will also help on Tangle's issue. You scratch my back I scratch yours".
"R-Right," Silver assured "Just making sure".
"I do have a question," Tangle quickly added "Because... I may have forgotten these code names we have, they're all from cards, I know that but... which one was mine again? Agent King is, heh, well, the king duh, and Ace is a very futuristic name for a very futuristic hedgehog but mine was with S... something?"
"Spades" Elias finished it for her with a judgy look.
"That! Thanks and... wasn't this Naugus guy supposed to be underground or something like that?"
"That is correct" Harvey confirmed causing a light shriek in Tangle's face which was almost noticeable but she quickly tried to hide it.
"Then I can... join Ace's team right? It's a face I know from home anyway".
The Director shrugged Tangle's odd reaction and assigned her to Silver's team that would be composed of her, Shard and Larry going to chase down St. John a previously stated.
Which brings us back to the windy canyons of Soumerca where said quartet finally found something that belonged to their own little fugitive near a hole on the top of a hill.
"That's our target airboard," stated Silver when seeing a hoverboard-like device "I guess he's below".
"Okay, this is going to be risky, stand back!" instructed Shard while setting up his booster causing the rest to do as he said and protect themselves expecting something to happen but the only thing that the robot did was to shoot a little thing into the airboard that simply made a light 'bang' when it hit the metal.
"Whew! There! Tracker attached! Oh, man, that was so dangerous and hard!" Shard said to himself smiling through it.
"Would you knock it off?" protested Silver "We're on a serious mission here! At least if we have to track him again it'll be easier"
"Don't get your spines in a knot, we're here to take on one guy, I think we can handle it".
"And what is a mission without some jokes around the place?" added Tangle being the only one who did enjoyed the trick.
"I'm not picking up any traps…" Shard tried to scan the area down the hole "But that's a long way down!"
"I'll just lower us to the bottom then" suggested Silver.
"How about 'no'? Your power short-out electronics and in case you haven't noticed, I'm a robot".
"It's how I use them! And my powers are silent, your rockets would give us away. And we're trying to be subtle!".
"C'mon ladies, there's no need to argue," added Tangle "If you use my tail then I can lower us to the bottom-"
Her suggestion got interrupted by the sudden scream coming from Larry who accidentally stepped on a loose piece of ground near the edge of the pit causing him to fall… Very unlucky. The three remaining agents all rushed to save the little lynx from impending doom given there was a huge set of spikes down below. Silver was the quickest to act flying towards him trying to catch him with his ESP, Shard just skyrocketing to him and Tangle staying on the top while trying to catch him with the tail.
Who won? The one who grabbed Larry, of course.
"And… whoosh-! I move even faster than you can think!" Shard announced proudly, landing in the insides of the cave.
"Congratulations. Now between his screaming and your engine, St. John will know we're here!"
"You're a 'glass half-empty' type of guy aren't you?" the robot replied placing Larry on the ground.
"Why would you build a death trap that leads into a death trap?" asked the young lynx once he recovered.
"To keep this place a secret to everyone… Spades?!" Silver called out seeing that Tangle hadn't come down yet.
"Are you sure you don't need a lookout or something like that?" she asked through the echo of the shaft.
"We're here to catch one guy and we already have a tracker… can't you just-"
"No one told me this was also another cave!"
Instead of arguing some more with his teammates, Silver just pulled down the piece of earth Tangle was in and then proceeding to lower her with his telekinesis to the spot where they all were where she stood there for a while trying to hide the fact that she was petrified but loosened up once she analysed the cave realizing that it was more open than she expected. It was a linear and closed hallway-cave but yeah, it was wide.
"O…kay we can continue" she slowly returned to her cheerful self.
"Well, that's great," commented Shard "And stand back bud, you've tripped enough today" he said to Larry.
"I'm sorry! I don't really have full control over my jinxes" the lynx tried to apologize.
"About that… I don't understand, do you have powers like me?" the hedgehog asked.
"Not exactly. Bad stuff just… happens around me. Sometimes I can make it happen to the enemy, other times… it doesn't always ends in a good way".
The group slowly began walking while listening to Larry's narration as he continued.
"Things just seemed to keep falling apart. My team had disbanded… I tried to run for public office but my ballot box spontaneously combusted. I didn't know what to do with myself until… a bit of bad luck… turned into great luck! Who would've thought that sitting in a tree would lead me to a secret organization with amazing people from different places?"
"So the director decided to send you –someone who causes random things to go wrong- on sensitive spy missions?" genuinely asked Silver with Shard immediately coming up with a response on the spot.
"Cough, I know who the traitor is! Cough, 'scuse me while I leap to conclusions in a single bound! Cough, hack, cough, ahem".
"What exactly is this 'traitor' you talk-" asked Tangle before Silver brutally intervening.
"It doesn't matter. The director is helping with that".
"I know he is, hot-shot," the bot added "He is also giving me and Larry a second shot and tail-girl a chance to prove herself with his little spy team. Might want to keep that in mind since this is your -what?- your fourth time?"
"Hey! I'm trying to save your time-period!"
"And Larry's been fighting for it since before you were born!"
"That's because I'm from the future!"
"You two guys are so much fun" added Tangle sarcastically.
"Hey guys? Ace, Jack, Spades? We've got something ahead" Larry called after the narrow hallway entered through a section way different from the rest of the cave. It was a long section covered what it looked to be copper with tons of rectangular holes all around the darn thing, on the walls, floor, roof… A bit on the trypophobia spectrum.
"Nope, not suspicious at all" said Shard after checking the place booting up his scanner to analyse it better.
"Anything?"
"Nada, but if it's old or rudimentary enough, my scans might not pick it up".
"Then it looks like it's up to me" Larry said, bravely stepping into it.
"La- Joker, wait! I can just-" Silver tried to stop him but to no avail. The chub walked right into it, immediately tripping over on one of the holes setting off an arrow from one of them which the lynx managed to miraculously dodge and Shard managing to pull him out of there just right before tons of arrows were shot from all places with some of them even clashing against each other before ultimately stopping after a few seconds, leaving the group standing there in awe.
This place was surely overprotected.
And that's it for today, another short chapter on another short story, I have nothing else to say here except that I like these four, they're fun to write
See you soon!