Chapter 21; "Hitting Too Close"
Viewer Discretion: Heavy violence/torture. You have been warned.
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"So, Andrew has a whole crew of lieutenants, including that kid who flipped on you, is engaging in guerrilla warfare system-wide, using layers of espionage and informants, and is bent on system-wide dominance like his dear old uncle?"
Fox quirked his brow at Fara as the duo walked down the battle-scarred halls of Space Dynamics HQ. "Uh, yeah. Why did you repeat everything I just told you?"
"Comfort reasons."
Fox's brow was still raised as Fara shrugged before the two re-entered the hanger, grabbing whatever they could salvage from Fara's still slightly on fire office. With the celebration over, the mood torpedoed into one of sorrow and grief. The reality of the fight was setting in for the workers and fellow pilots. Miniature memorials had been set up for those who lost their lives in the attack, complete with whatever personal belongings they could scavenge from the facility. Walking away from a group of grieving pilots was Bill, complete with a bubbly cinnamon furred husky wearing the typical green flight suit of Husky Squad in tow. Despite just recently taking off her pilot's helmet, her hair sprung right back up to a cascading waterfall of soft brown hair. However, even her mood seemed to take a slight dive.
The husky's mood changed once more as the vulpine duo walked in to the hanger, her tail wagging furiously behind her as she quickly ran up to the duo. "Hey guys, glad to see you two still alive and kicking!" The foxes were unable to respond as the tall husky quickly wrapped the much shorter Fox and Fara up in a signature spine-shattering hug, receiving grunts and yelps of sudden pain as a response.
Bill was quick to intervene with a whistle and physical force, slowly prying the vulpines from the husky's death hug. Finally, the husky let go, allowing air to flood into the lungs of the collapsed Fox and Fara as she stood on the balls of her feet and interlocked her hands in an innocent manner. "Shelia, come on! What have we told you about the hugs?"
Bill's light scolding failed to faze Shelia as she waved her hands in a dismissive manner. "Oh don't worry, Billy! I'm just saying hi to my friends like I would anyone else!" The blood in Bill's body rushed to his face at the nickname and the gentile tap on the nose that Shelia gave him. "And plus, they're fine! I didn't hug them too hard." Fox grumbled as he got to his feet, eying the bubbly canine as he felt his back crack from standing up. Her hugs had always packed a punch, so much so that Fox had considered if maybe she should have been a chiropractor instead of a fighter pilot.
Before Fox could retaliate, the husky squealed again, bolting past Fox and quickly wrapping the now present members of Star Fox up in one of her hugs. After Sheila sufficiently squeezed the souls and spines out of the newly arrived Star Fox members, her hugs were finally halted when Bill pulled out a bag of Happy Squires candy and jiggled the bag. The clattering hard candies were enough to distract the husky as she pounced on the bag and tore it up, grabbing the wrapped candies and shoving as many as she could into her mouth.
"Alright guys, that'll keep her busy for about ten to fifteen minutes, tops," Bill stated, happy that the spine buster was now neutralized. With that out of the way, it meant that serious discussion could occur now, with the biggest one on Bill's mind kicking things off. "So, when do we retaliate?"
Fox sighed as his tail drooped low and his hands fell into his pockets. "That's a good question. First, we need to find out where they are coming from. It's clear that Andrew still has his dear uncle's portal technology, which means he could be anywhere."
"What about Venom," Falco questioned. "Y'think it's possible?"
Krystal jumped in, shaking her head in an unsure manner. "I doubt it. After Dash's efforts to clean Venom up and terraform it into a livable planet, he would have to notice something."
Miyu jumped in next, standing next to the avian and crossing her arms. "To be fair, Venom is a big planet. Maybe he set up shop out in the Badlands, or even the old wreckage of Andross's base. Hiding in plain sight and all that."
"What about that tracking beacon that Krystal fired? Can't we see where that ended up?" Fay's sudden question was met with a grunt from Slippy, who was looking down at his PDA with a frown.
"According to the beacon, it's currently floating in Eladard's orbit. So it either went way off course, or he's somewhere on Eladard."
"Than that's our first stop. Something's gotta be going down on Eladard soon," Fox finished. "I'll call up Peppy, see if he's got contacts for you the-" The vulpine was interrupted by a buzzing from his pocket. Reaching in, Fox's eyes lit up when a certain rabbit's face appeared on the small device. "Hold on guys, it's Peppy!"
Sliding the green call button, Fox quickly put the device up to his ear, smiling as Peppy's drawl came through the speakers. "Fox, y'there?"
"You bet, old-timer! I was just about to call you regarding the attack on Space Dynamics."
Peppy chuckled over the phone, letting his infectious joy seep through. "Well ain't that convenient? I've got some intel to share with y'all, might let you know Andrew's next move."
"Go for it."
"We've got a spy, goes by Dirk Dirkelton. He's been undercover for a while, and he's given us intel on Andrew's mouthpiece. Captain Shears is back."
The device nearly fell out of Fox's paw. "What?"
"Mhm, it seems he survived that lil' encounter back on Titania. O'course, he's all burnt up now, and he goes by General Shears."
"So that's how his guys got the official uniforms back at the Congress…" As Fox kept piecing together the puzzle, Peppy's voice came back to shuffle it up once more.
"Exactly. But that's not all. Dirk told us that he saw a young shepherd lady goin' by "Zoe" and TJ bein' given orders from him. They've got Vince Stazak's laboratory in Sokudo in their sights, and these two are plannin' to rob him blind within a week. We don't know the exact date, but we've already let Vince and his team know. They'll tighten up security while research continues."
Fox huffed, still hoping that TJ would snap back to reality and realize what he's doing. "Any idea what they're going to steal?"
Peppy chuckled over the device before a sigh escaped his mouth as well. "Sorry Fox, but that's under layers of black marker. Plus some hotshot buck senator is trying to divert funding from this new war effort towards peace treaties. He's got some support and is blocking a lot of my motions. All I can tell you is that it's all bein' held on a flash-drive now for safe keepin'."
Despite wanting to press Peppy further for intel, Fox understood the rules. If Peppy would not give up what was so precious, there was probably a reason for it. Nepotism was never Fox's style anyways. "Alright, thanks for the intel, Peppy. Anything else I should know about?"
"Mhm, if TJ's gonna be there, you'll need something fast on the ground to bring him down. I don't care how good you are, this ain't the hills of Eladard we're talkin' about. It's the cities. Take Miyu with you to the Sokudo Central Police Station to get you in without any incidents and meet Bill there. He'll give you complete CDF access to a lockup full of fast cars. Pick one that goes with your eyes and be on high alert. The second that lab gets hit, I want you on it like bees on honey. Remember, you're the contingency plan. I tried to tell Vince to pack it up, but he swears he's close to some sortta breakthrough, so he's staying put."
Even though he knew Peppy could not see him Fox nodded anyway. "Roger wilco, General." Peppy's snort over the phone told Fox all he needed to know, cracking the sly vulpine grin for a half-second. However, it faded just as quickly once the alien kid entered his mind again. "But I have to ask, when I catch TJ, what's the plan for him?"
Peppy's end was silent for a while before a sigh came through. "I don't know. Right now, the public still thinks you're hidin' him away. He hasn't directly killed anyone yet, but he caused thousands of dollars worth of damages back at Aquilia Wharf from the reports I'm hearing, and he caused a prison break during his little joy ride. Right now, it's under wraps. But if anyone else finds out what he's done, or will do…" Peppy became eerily quiet, a tense silence cast out before his voice came back. "…I'd hate to see the kid get a decades-long stint in the clink. Wrap this up fast and try to bring him around. Peppy out." With a pop, the call was dropped and Fox lowered the device from his ears.
Fox let out a deep sigh, catching the attention of his close teammates. Even Shelia's ears pricked up, despite being muzzle deep in the bag with her favorite candies. Fox took a deep breath, before nodding. "Alright, I just got off the phone with Peppy. Miyu, we're heading down to Sokudo to watch over Vince Stzak's lab. Bill, we're gonna meet up with you there at the Sokudo impound lot after Wolf and his team get back. We're gonna need some tools for the job."
Looking towards Fay, Fox motioned towards Fara. "Fay, get Fara all set up on the Great Fox. Fara, can you get our guns recharged?"
The fennec's massive ears flicked for a second as her brow raised. "…are you asking me to recharge the guns for free?"
Fox scratched the back of his neck with a slight chuckle. "Well, sorta. Think of it as your first assignment on the team!"
Despite his smile, Fara glared at the leader. "Yeah, uh-huh. Just so you know, I'll be racking up a tally of all the Space Dynamics property you buy up." As soon as Fox's ears went flat, Fara let a gentile grin out. "…but of course, I'll give you a nice little discount. It's the least I could do."
Fox breathed a sigh of relief, making a mental note to watch out if he buys so much as a screw from the businesswoman. "Thanks, Fara. Fay will help you get set up with a room. I've just gotta go through some final checks back on the bridge with Peppy and ROB." Turning to Bill, Fox gave his friend a fist bump. "And I'll see you in Sokudo. Hopefully, this whole thing will be over as quickly as it started."
"You got it, dude! Let's do it!"
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Fox and Miyu walked into the entrance of the station, taking in the sights. It was a sparse and utilitarian station, in line with modern Eladard's way of doing things. Blinding white walls, technologically advanced scanners, and police officers with expressions resembling the robots they worked alongside. Usual booking rooms were loud and unorderly, but this one was for some reason oddly quiet. Disorderly criminals were quickly booked and sent to the cells within a matter of seconds, shocking Fox as he watched a drunken vagrant get hauled in. The ferret barely had any time to shout slurs as he was brought up to the front desk, had his palm scanned, and was walked behind the desk through a blue laser barrier before disappearing out of view as quickly as he came in, with a barrier turning back into a deep red.
The innocent occupants of the brightly lit white box all sat down in evenly spaced chairs, keeping quiet as they waited to pay someone's bail, report a crime, or pay their own fines. Despite the room being almost packed to the brim, all motions and movements made had a purpose and did not interfere with anyone else.
Following Miyu's sudden lead, Fox followed the lynx as if he was a lost child before the two stopped at the front desk. Manning the desk was a female canary typing rapidly on a computer. Before Fox could say anything, Miyu got the canary's attention with a gentle knock on the desk and a polite bow. As if she was a robot, the canary suddenly faced the lynx, and the two began communicating in rapid-fire Eladardian. Most of the words flew over Fox's head, except for Bill's name at the end. Watching Miyu dig through her pockets to pull out her wallet and I.D card, Fox did the same, both mercenaries holding their cards out in full view of the canary.
The canary's glare was strong enough to turn Fox into a statue, before she nodded and bowed, turning the laser barrier that the ferret walked through blue again. As Miyu returned the bow, Fox gave an awkward half-bow as well, before following Miyu through the barrier. Once they were through, Fox noticed the gate turn a deep red again.
The halls of the police station were just as if not more orderly than the waiting room. In fact, it was deathly quiet. Ringing phones were silenced almost instantly as they were picked up, typing was rapid yet silent, and everyone walked with as much purpose as they did in the lobby. While Miyu was used to the rapid movement, Fox was both physically and metaphorically stepping on toes wherever he went. It was hard not bumping into the furry worker drones as they moved onto the next part of their hectic yet controlled lives.
What was assumed to take a long time turned out to take only a few seconds, as Bill stuck out like a sore thumb. And it wasn't just the fact that he was a tall grey Cornerian canine. The typical skunky scent mixed with road tar wafted off of him, and police officers were keeping their space from him. Those who got too close scrunched their noses up and glared angrily at the canine, something that he was oblivious to due to obvious reasons. Slouched over in a folding chair by a metal door, Bill was dressed in his usual off-duty green hoodie, grey sweatpants, and yellow flip-flops. Fox chuckled as one of Bill's flip-flops had fallen off, lying upside down next to an extra-large cup of what Fox assumed to be soda. Covering the canine's face was a newspaper, all in Eladardian. Approaching Bill, it was clear that he was passed out, the canine loudly snoring as his floppy ears were covered by a pair of headphones softly playing some stoner hip-hop song.
A genius idea hit both Fox and Miyu at the same time, giving each other knowing nods before Miyu stepped up to the snoozing pilot and grabbed his phone. Suddenly, Miyu's finger held down the volume button, rapidly increasing the volume of his music to unbearable levels.
Bill jolted awake with a final snore, accidentally kicking off his remaining flip-flop, knocking his headphones to the linoleum floor, and letting the newspaper fall off of his face. His eyes adjusting to the light, he was finally able to make out Fox and Miyu's forms. At the same time, Fox and Miyu were able to make out his bloodshot eyes and sleezy grin. "Dudes... you made it!"
They exchanged quick hugs and handshakes before the inebriated canine realized that he was barefoot in a police station and went to go fetch his flip-flops. As Bill slowly put his flip-flops back on, Fox grabbed the canine's soda cup. The fox was feeling slightly parched and decided to try and go for a quick sip. His attempt was cut off by Bill quickly grabbing the cup, right as the straw touched his lips. "Uh-uh, dude. Trust me, you don't want this."
Fox scoffed at the canine and rolled his eyes, as Bill sipped from his cup. "Oh come on, I'm thirsty, Bill. What, is there something wrong with the drink? Because you seem fine."
Bill did not reply, but rather kept sipping.
Fox stood still for a moment, before he squinted, looking at Bill's serious yet bloodshot eyes. Fox and Miyu slowly began to piece two and two together.
After a few seconds, Miyu stifled her laugher as Fox understood Bill's meaning. "You spiked your own soda?!" Fox had to keep his shout to a whisper as Bill nodded, sipping loudly on his drink and shattering the efficient silence of the station.
"That's just details, dude. Now come on! We've got no time to waste!" Bill's voice rang out over the order of the station once more, Fox catching secondhand embarrassment as Bill led the way, still sipping loudly.
The walk was a relatively short one, as they were able to bypass most lengthy security checkpoints through a mixture of biometric scanners and flashes of their respective badges. Eventually, the duo paused at a fork in the road, Bill looking up and scratching the side of his head. "Uh, Bill? Why are we stopped?"
With a sheepish grin, Bill turned to face Fox and shrugged. "I uh… I can't read Eladaridian. People just kinda told me where to go."
Even though Bill's smirk threatened to make Fox burst out laughing at the absurdity, he maintained his stoic yet disbelieving demeanor. Miyu slapped her hand into her muzzle, before roughly shoving Bill aside and looking up at the two signs. One read "インパウンドロット" while the other read "暗号通貨ファーム." Miyu glared at the signs and rolled her eyes, before roughly grabbing Bill's arm and nudging him in the right direction.
"Feast your eyes, bro." Bill was right. It was quite a sight. Hard to believe that this entire garage was underneath the central hub for the Sokudo Police Department. The number of high-performance vehicles in the garage was almost uncountable, as mechanics and technicians worked tirelessly on each vehicle like it was a piece of art. The sounds and smells were intoxicating, to say the least. It was a smell that Fox was used to, at least with how many restless nights were spent repairing his Arwing along with Slippy.
"Any car you need, these dudes got. Drug dealers, gangsters, politicians, trust-fund kids. You're bound to find all of their rides down here, dude. All that's left is to choose your weapon." The slapping of Bill's flip-flops on the squeaky clean floor echoed throughout the buzzing garage, with Fox following closely behind. The vulpine was looking up at the rows of cars stored on storage lifts that went up for at least six stories and were about as wide as football fields going down either direction. Each car looked modified and ready to break road safety laws at a moment's notice. Perfect for chasing down TJ. But what to choose...
Over numerous eye-catching paint jobs, obnoxious wraps, tacky body kits, and chromed grills, Fox's eyes latched on to one car high up on the lifts. "Bill, that one," Fox said, pointing over towards the suitable vehicle.
"You sure?"
"Absolutely."
"Copy that, dude." Bill quickly tapped his comms piece as he lowered his sunglasses and locked eyes on Fox's ride of choice. "This is Commander Grey, code one-four-oh-seven-six-two. Requesting vehicle from bay two, row six, column thirteen to be lowered to the floor."
Fox watched as the car's platform was pushed out, before being gently lowered to the ground with a metallic bang. Fox had chosen the Veloce ZX, a beast of an expensive Cornerian supercar. Coated in a glossy white paint job, it was covered in swooping vents and sharp angles. The car had a classy yet angry look to it as if somebody was about to get their arm broken just by looking at it the wrong way. Fox couldn't help but be taken aback by the stunning looks of the car.
A whistle from Bill caught Fox's attention, the vulpine turning to notice Bill holding the key fob that belonged to the car. Deciding to be cinematic, Bill tossed the fob to Fox, who was too far away to catch it. Despite lunging for the key, Fox fell just short as the key clattered to the ground. It fell in just the right way to activate the alarm, lights flashing and horn blaring as Fox quickly ran to the key and shut off the deafening horn. Finally, Fox was able to silence the car with a final chirp. Looking back up at Bill, it seemed as though the whole garage was staring daggers at the canine. A blush overcame his face as he quickly continued to sip his soda, ignoring the angry mechanics and teammates as best he could.
Miyu quickly smacked Bill on the back with a large smile, causing him to nearly spit out all of his soda. "Great job there, Billy."
Bill rolled his eyes as Miyu walked off, placing her hand on the car door and giving it a tug. The door refused to budge, but after a few tries, it finally opened upward with a hydraulic hiss. Looking across the roof of the car, Miyu saw Fox with a smug grin and thumb on the key fob. A scoff escaped her lips as she sat down in the low-slung exotic, the car being low enough to the ground that it was practically like falling into it.
As the duo closed the doors, Fox took in his surroundings. "ZX" was proudly printed on the steering wheel, while numerous buttons and features littered the wheel like acne. There was a small touchscreen, and nothing else. It was clear that this car was meant for speed. Speaking of speed… Fox pushed the button to start the car, only for his eardrums to practically explode. The screaming engine roared above the noise of the garage, contorting both faces of Fox and Miyu as if a cartoon bomb went off in their faces.
After a few seconds, Miyu chuckled out of pure shock, slapping the dashboard. "Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho yeah, this thing's gonna bring TJ down. No doubt about it."
Fox nodded with a blank stare, still recovering from the shock of the shriek. Feathering the gas a bit, the banshee-like wails of the engine behind his head deafened him once more. "Let's hope you're right. Let's also hope we don't have to use this thing. For now, let's go meet up with Vince and see what he's got for us."
Gently tapping on the gas, Fox slowly drove out of the garage, ready for the stakeout.
Three days later
"Hey Zoe, you get the call too?"
The shepherd nodded, looking towards the street racer with a confused glare. "Yeah, it's probably about your jacket there, bud."
The street racer scoffed, looking down at his newly acquired threads and popping the collar of his "new" brown leather jacket. "Hey, I got this for hella cheap! Plus it looks dope, got a hood an' everythin'!" The street racer suddenly flipped the hood up and shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to look cool with a sneer while Zoe only giggled. "If only you could see how much of a nerd you look like right now…"
"Hey, I'm no nerd!"
"Oh, really?" A wry grin crossed Zoe's lips as she quirked a brow. "You spent a few hours under that car of yours with a whole assortment of tools and gizmos. I heard you saying stuff I can't even begin to understand, and it still makes no sense if you explain it!" Zoe's giggles turned TJ's face bright red, the driver gently shoving the thief as he rolled his eyes.
"Yeah yeah, I bet you don't even know how to change a tire."
Zoe shoved him right back, smiles on both of their faces now as she ripped his hood down from his head. "Yup, cause I can just get you to do it for me."
Another scoff escaped TJ as the duo kept walking, still wondering why exactly Andrew had called the two of them up. The heist was tonight, what more was there to go over? The confusion only increased, when TJ spotted the other members of Andrew's squad, all sitting outside the same door he was meant to enter with Zoe. Confusion swept the halls, before Ringo's voice broke the silence.
"Okay, this is gettin' outta hand. I was told to come here alone, now you two show up? The hell?"
Vasilev shrugged as he turned to Dimitri, the giants clearly taking it well. "It is no big deal, little man. There must be clear explanation for this, and Andrew will have it."
Johan scoffed, his arms remaining folded as he rolled his eyes. "Well, he better. General Hare wants to know why I am pushing peace so hard, and I have to draft a report to him by tonight."
A hearty guffaw arose from Dimitri as he smacked the deer on the back, causing his whole body to jolt forward. "Haha! You suited tiny men are all same! Play time with talk, not action!"
Johan only grunted, adjusting his expensive suit and he flattened any creases that cropped up due to the brute's strength. "For the last time, information is key. If you want something done as quickly as possible while drawing the least suspicion, you use your head to think, not to smash through walls." Dimitri's brow rose as the deer adjusted his tie with a smug smirk, seemingly full of himself.
Before the brute could think of a rebuttal, Ke'ai and Jacques exited the door they were standing in front of, followed by General Shears emerging from the darkness of the room. "All of you, in here. Now." The order from Shears confused the group, but nudging from the lizard and lemur prompted the group to slowly filter in.
The first thing to hit TJ's nose was a metallic scent in the pitch-black room. There was a faint sound of liquid dripping somewhere in the room, but TJ could not pinpoint where. As the group tried to get their bearings, the sound of a match being struck filled the air, followed by Andrew's face appearing in the light of the flame. There was no time for questions, as Andrew had only one thing to say to the confused group.
"Tell me, what does loyalty mean to all of you?"
The team looked at each other, trading confused glares for a second before TJ spoke up. "Uh, if I had to give it a definition, I'd say it's about never sellin' your crew out, never givin' up on them, and stickin' close together?"
Andrew was silent for a second, releasing a simple "Hm" before he snapped his fingers. The rest of the room now was fully illuminated, revealing General Shears standing over a bloodied-looking canine tied to a simple metal chair. Come to think of it, he looked extremely similar to the black labrador that TJ locked eyes with back on the bridge. His once pristine uniform was covered in red splotches, his leaky nose dripping more crimson onto the outfit as he slowly breathed in through his mouth. His eyes flinched to the sudden light, before blinking the blindness away. Zoe and TJ had their eyes go slightly wide, while Dimitri and Vasilev stood with slight smirks. Ringo shifted uncomfortably on his feet, while Johan, Ke'ai, and Jacques held expressions as blank as fresh snow.
"Well then, Mr. Dirk Dirkleton here has broken those rules. He has informed the Cornerians of your mission tonight, and they have been placed on high alert. It probably means that Star Fox will be there as well to take you down." A knot simultaneously twisted itself in both Zoe and TJ's stomachs, the later seeing how they operated first-hand. If Fox was going to be there, his job became near impossible now. As nervousness began to set in, Andrew only smirked, gripping Dirk's chin as he winced in pain. "Yes, he has made this job quite the headache now. Spies are one thing I can not tolerate, along with dishonesty."
Panic was clearly setting in for Dirk, the canine attempting to wiggle free of his restraints to no avail. Shears quickly hit him with a punch to the back of the head, doubling the dog over as his blood began to drip on to the floor. Shaky breathing filled the air as he pulled himself back up, his swollen eye locking onto TJ. The stare was beyond uncomfortable as TJ met his gaze. It looked like he had been tortured for hours, being forced to give up whatever information he could about the operation. "We were able to gain a bounty of intel from him, and Dirk here has told up that security had been tripled at the laboratory. Zoe, I hope you studied those plans well, as well as improved your cardiovascular system. You'll need to run as fast as you can now." Zoe only nodded as quickly as she could to Shears' demands, still in awe over how badly he had been beaten up.
Looking over to TJ, the kid still had his eyes locked with Dirk, before a quick snap brought him back to attention. "And Tyler, do take caution now. Police will be on high alert, meaning you can't afford a single mistake." TJ nodded in a similar manner to Zoe, before coughing from Dirk got their attention. Looking over at TJ, the canine squinted, a pleading stare washing over the driver.
"I've heard about you… saving the General from the attack on the Congress… So why are you here?" TJ wanted to answer, but his throat closed up. "You were talking about loyalty… well what about to Fox and his team?"
TJ began shifting weight on his feet, trying to justify exactly why he was doing what he was doing. "Look man, it's more complex than that. I don't wanna talk about it right now…"
"And you won't."
The growl from Andrew quirked TJ's brow before the dictator was handed a large knife from Shears. The sound of steel breaching flesh filled the air, followed by gagging sounds. With the swiftness of the wind, Andrew slid the bowie knife clean into Dirk's throat, crimson splashing down the knife and coating Andrew's hand in the sticky red fluid. TJ was unable to stop the exclamation of "Jesus Christ!" from exiting his throat, jumping back as Zoe yipped in shock. While Ringo's eyes shot open, Johan's stoic nature was shattered, the deer violently recoiling from the sudden act of violence. Ke'ai and Jacques held their stone-faced looks, while wry grins crossed the lips of Dimitri and Vasilev. The sounds of more flesh being ripped open violated the room, tears of fear and pain welling in Dirk's eyes. Andrew kept a snarl on his face, shoving the blade further and further in, each thrust spilling more crimson onto the floor.
After what seemed like an eternity, Andrew ripped the blade out of the canine's throat, leaving him to choke and sputter as the Emperor took out a white handkerchief and wiped the blood off on it. As a sign of further disrespect, Andrew tossed the soiled rag onto Dirk's thrashing body, bleeding like an animal in the slaughterhouse. Thankfully, the choking and sputtering slowly died out, along with Dirk. His head stayed as high as it could, unfortunately looking right at TJ. The kid watched in horror as the color from his fur and the light from his eyes slowly drained out. Try as he might, Dirk's body had given up on him. He had released one final sputter before his head hung limp and low. The silent sound of splashing blood dripping onto the metallic floor pierced the air, only to be broken up by raucous laughter from the brutes of the group.
"I hope you all have received this message. If any of you betray me or my trust, this is what awaits you. Have I made myself clear?" Andrew had received nods of affirmation from half of the group, except Zoe, TJ, Johan, and Ringo. The dictator's scrutinizing glare was cast down onto all of them, his boots clanging on the metallic floor. "I said, have I made myself clear?" His raspy voice filled the air, coercing the hold-outs into nodding. No sooner were the four heads nodding did Andrew shift his gaze, now one of slight regret as he lowered the volume of his voice. "I truly do apologize for having you witness this gruesome display. I hope you understand that this is a fight where we have to get dirty. I will admit fault for letting my emotions get the better of me, but this is a necessary evil to prevent other spies from attempting the same tricks."
Focusing on TJ and Zoe, Andrew now wore an earnest smile. "I trust you two will be able to overcome the challenges ahead of you. Get to your car, you move out now. I have the uppermost faith in your skills, and I know that you will bring glory to our rebellion. There will be no failure." The duo only nodded, being the first ones out as their bodies worked on autopilot. Nothing was said during the walk to the car, only making a stop to pick up Zoe's gear bag full of useful items and TJ's keys.
Entering the hanger was usually a fun experience, but after seeing what had happened to Dirk, there was no smiling, no laughing, no ribbing. There was a job to do. And failure horrified the driver. It seemed as though Zoe agreed with him, as each step towards the car was filled with deafening silence. If it was not the silence, it was the shuffling and constant moving of guards that drowned out whatever the two wanted to say, if there even was anything to say.
Mercifully, the duo approached the Viper, still not saying a word. A chirp from the key fob, and the doors unlocked. Silently sitting down in the car, even the revving of the Viper's V10 refused to bring a smile to TJ's face. The two sat still for a minute before TJ hit the uplink, still refusing to say a word.
There will be no failure
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A/N: Happy two year anniversary! Hard to believe it's been two years since I threw my hat into the ring! It's been one helluva ride, so I just first wanna thank everyone who's even given a glance at this story! I also want to give shoutouts to Nail Strafer, The Clump (SheppardSD, Spacecat010, MrMcStabson), K.S, Elarix, Groundis, Wolfrider, Shade, and Sven! I'm grateful to know all of you, and you've each helped me along the way! I'll keep on working on this and Lethal Lockdown as much as possible, thanks for all the support, reviews, and follows!
Keep On Rollin'!
-DeltaERB