Chapter 20

PART TWO

Click. Espio moved before the GUN agents could reload. "Kemuri!" He tossed an ofunda into the air and quickly made a series of complex hand gestures with his hands. The talisman exploded and unleashed a screen of white powder. Espio turned and threw a handful of ninja stars at the window. The gun riddled glass shattered. He snatched Charmy by the hand, rushed forward and leapt!

Wind rushed into Espio's face while Charmy clung to him desperately. They fell a few stories before Espio threw his grappling hook. It smashed through a lower story window and connected on a ledge. He waited for the line to go taut and swung him and Charmy forward. Just before they crashed into the window, Espio threw a smoke bomb out in front of them. It smashed the glass and covered their entrance back into the building.

They emerged into an empty stairwell and Espio used the brief pocket of peace to collect himself. His heart was racing and he could feel panic tracing through his veins. Charmy was sobbing and holding his hands over his ears. "Calm down," Espio ordered as he put his hands on the bee's shoulders.

"Vector…they…Vec…" Charmy couldn't stop the flow of tears. His breath was coming in shallow heaves and it was obvious to Espio that the bee was on the verge of a complete meltdown.

"Charmy!" Espio forced Charmy's eyes up to meet his own. "Listen to me. We have to get out of here."

"We….we…"

SLAM! A door above them burst open and a troop of GUN soldiers raced into the stairwell. Espio grabbed Charmy and leapt into the middle opening narrowly avoiding a wave of machine gun fire. "After them! They cannot be allowed to escape!"

"Fly Charmy!" Espio shook the bee, but his friend could not handle the stress of the moment. "CHARMY! FLY OR DIE!" Charmy's eyes snapped open and he flapped his translucent wings as hard as he could. He managed to stop their descent only a few feet from the ground.

Espio dropped to the floor and pulled Charmy into a narrow hallway of single offices.

He slammed the door shut and left an ofunda there as a trap. Seconds later the door opened triggering the trap and covering their pursuers in black smog.

Espio risked looking back when Charmy suddenly pulled him to a stop. The door ahead of them broke open but the GUN agents never got a chance to fire their weapons. Espio was ready for them this time. Ninja stars and Kunai rained down on the agents and when they were disarmed Espio got in close and cleared the way hand to hand. The agents stood no chance without their guns and were swiftly knocked out.

"Come on!" He took Charmy by the hand and started down another hallway. The sound of storming boots pursued them and he heard voices up ahead. Espio pulled Charmy into one of the offices and mercifully it was empty. "Hide." He whispered. Charmy flew to the back corner of the room and hid himself on top of one of the cabinets. "Kieru." Espio did the motions for his ninjutsu and changed his skin into the color of the office wall. He crept to the far corner and waited.

His heart drummed in his chest as they waited for what felt like several long hours. Boots and voices echoed outside the doors but no one came into the office until far later. The GUN agents wore black armor and concealed their faces. Espio thought his heart might leap out of his chest and expected the loud drumming would give them away any second. He closed his eyes and prayed fervently that the agents would give up and leave. In that moment of extreme anxiety, Espio could hear the voice of his master.

"A ninja masters himself completely. Even when in extreme danger their heart never wavers. They are completely silent and still."

That had been one of the myriad of lessons Espio had never mastered. In that moment he was the exact opposite of calm. All he could think about was Vector lying motionless on the ground and Charmy hiding in the room with him.

"A ninja does not fear. He becomes fear."

As one GUN agent approached the cabinet Charmy was hiding on top of, Espio was afraid. A potent dose of terror streamed into the chamellion's veins and held him still. Espio held his breath as the agent raised his weapon to check near the ceiling. "Romanoff!" A voice suddenly erupted out of the agent's walkie talkie. "Circle around to the front of the building. Double search all the first floor rooms." All the agents shrugged and filed out of the room one by one.

Neither Espio or Charmy moved for another hour. Espio waited until there was unbroken silence before he returned to his solid color. Charmy emerged from his hiding place and shuddered. The little bee held himself and shook violently. "Vec…they…he's…"

"We have to get out of here first," Espio insisted. He could not think about it now. Reflecting on what had happened would leave him unable to respond to the crisis at hand. Espio took Charmy by the hand and crept out of the office. The hallway appeared deserted. "There should be a parking garage somewhere. Let's try leaving through there."

Together they tiptoed down the hallway and Espio risked pausing to inspect a map of the building. They were on floor ten which put them seven floors above the parking garage. Espio led them to another stairwell and they crept down it slowly.

They were only one flight away from the parking garage when Espio saw something that made him come to a dead halt. Seven GUN agents were stationed by the door, clearly waiting for Espio and Charmy to leave. He silently motioned for Charmy to turn around and head back up when they heard a door open and shut. Boots echoed from upstairs. They were trapped! Charmy's eyes widened and the bee started to hyperventilate.

"Charmy calm down," Espio whispered but it was too late. Charmy's panicked breathing was getting louder. With no way out but through, Espio took Charmy and charged down the stairs.

The agents by the door raised their rifles just as Espio released a handful of smoke bombs. They burst in the air and choked the stairwell in black mist. Espio held his breath and tried slipping through to the entrance of the parking garage. They were nearly there when the agents started to fire blindly. BRRRRT! BRRRTTT! Even without seeing, the agents could still cover the entire area with their deadly spray. Cursing to himself, Espio pushed Charmy forward and leapt into the midst of the smoke.

He dashed from foe to foe dealing critical strikes to each, imbolizing and preventing them from firing their weapons. Several times a stray bullet nearly hit Espio but he just managed to evade them. When he reached the door to the parking garage he wrenched it open, and pulled Charmy and himself through.

The garage was mostly empty and gave them plenty of space to run. Espio took Charmy and booked it for the far end. He was halfway across when more agents entered the garage and started to fire after them. However, hitting a streaking Espio out in the open was nearly impossible. The ninja weaved through the various parked cars and ran down and around the garage until he neared the basement.

Charmy was dragging him down and kept resisting Espio's attempts to set him on his feet. "You've got to help!" That's when Espio saw it; a red stain swelling on the corner of Charmy's yellow vest. "No…" Charmy's eyes fluttered and he clung to Espio with feeble strength.

Espio held his friend up but he could feel the bee trembling from head to foot. Sweat and tears glistened on Charmy's face. "It…it hurts…" He wheezed.

"You're going to be alright," Espio promised without even checking the wound. He took Charmy by the shoulders and held him firmly. "Listen to me. I'm going to get you out of here."

Charmy shook his head. "No…I…they got…me…Espio…please…" Espio had never fully appreciated just how young Charmy was. There was no pretense of courage or valor, he was afraid. Espio could feel tears building in his eyes but he could also hear the chorus of storming boots. Charmy covered his wound with one hand and clung with a vice-like grip onto Espio with the other. "Please Espio…I don't…I don't want to-"

"You're going to be fine," Espio insisted. "I will get you out of here. I promise." The tears were flowing now but there was nothing Espio could do about that. His fear and indecision were fading away. He felt strength and surety returning to his limbs. He had to save Charmy, no matter the cost. With difficulty he pried Charmy's hand off of him and set the bee onto the ground.

"Don't leave me!" Charmy wailed. "Please." The bee was traumatized by pain and fear. His face was pale and his eyes, which were always so alive with snark and optimism, were dimmed by terror.

It broke Espio's heart to turn away from him. "I'll be right back!" With a fire in his gut, Espio ran towards the sound of rushing feet. There would be no escape without a confrontation. In one hand, Espio drew a set of ninja stars and in the other two smoke bombs.

Seconds later the squadron of GUN agents rounded the far corner. BRRRRTT! BRRRRT! They opened fire but Espio had already turned invisible and leapt onto the ceiling. The agents rushed forward and when he was right above their center he descended upon them in a shield of smoke. "ABOVE!"

The warning came too late. Espio was too close to fire at and too quick to pin down hand to hand. Need allowed him to break through his physical barriers and Espio lost all sense of himself. He moved as fast as shifting light and was as slippery and hard to catch as smoke.

The best ninja does not fight with sense, but solely by instinct. One can train for several lifetimes and never achieve mastery in the art. Power comes only in response to a need and not mere desire.

Espio had never really understood that lesson until now. It wasn't perfect but in that moment, with every fiber of his being set on saving Charmy, he felt his reliance on sense dim and his instincts heighten. Time seemed to slow and his body would move and react to danger without express command from his brain.

As one wave of GUN agents fell, another arrived to take their place. Espio could not say how long he fought or the number of his foes. He was in a trance of movement and desperation. His eyes did not need to see his foes, they only saw Charmy slowly collapsing into a ball. The vision stirred Espio to fight harder and faster.

The never ending rush of foes transported him to that fateful night. Fire ravaged the monastery and the heat of the inferno stretched into the depths of the forest. The smell of smoke and cinder had disturbed Espio from his meditation. NO! With a great effort of will, Espio pulled his mind back to the present. He could not dwell on that night.

Thirty GUN agents laid sprawled out on the parking garage floor. A final squadron of around eight approached Espio far more cautiously than the rest. Espio was breathing heavily but the onset of true fatigue was being dammed by a barrier of purpose. He had no more weapons, no more tricks. The GUN agents aimed their rifles at him and walked forward in a semi circle.

Espio was fast but not faster than a bullet. His only tool at the moment was the caution of his enemies. It was enough. He crouched for a jump and the agents over committed to following his movements. They sprayed the ceiling with gun fire while Espio actually leapt backward. He crouched low to the ground and hid himself behind the bodies of the already defeated agents.

His foes could not risk shooting at him and hitting their own allies. The tactic lacked honor but Espio did not care about that right now. What mattered was getting Charmy to safety as soon as possible. "SPREAD OUT!" The captain of the agents yelled.

They hurried forward and fell right into Espio's trap. He hid behind a body and turned invisible. Seconds later he had broken the line of the agents and attacked them from behind. Confusion soon gave way to fear and fear to panic. Their discipline and training failed them and Espio moved from agent to agent knocking them out.

When that was done and Espio heard no more sounds of pursuit he sprinted back to Charmy. The bee was still alive and was applying pressure to his wound. Espio's heart lifted somewhat and he decided to check the wound. A passing bullet had hit Charmy on the edge of his abdomen. It was a painful strike but not necessarily lethal. Espio smiled and helped pull Charmy to his feet.

"You're going to be okay." Charmy nodded but his head bobbed and it was clearly difficult for him to remain conscious. "Stay with me!" Espio ordered. "You're going to be fine, just stay awake!"

"I'll…I'll try."

Espio pulled Charmy along and the two of them neared the exit of the parking garage. "Once we are outside, we should be okay. GUN can't risk its agents being seen attacking people out in the open." Charmy's eyes fluttered. "Hey! Hey! Stay awake!"

"Okay…Espio…Vec…he…he saved us." Espio paused. He had thought Charmy was going to say something else. "He really was the best boss..wasn't he?"

A fat tear fell down Espio's cheek. "Yeah he was.."

"You're doing alright yourself.." Charmy managed with a half smile.

"You're the boss now." Espio squeezed Charmy's hand. "I'll do what he did. I'll save you."

"I know..I trust you."

His friend's confidence lended strength to Espio's fatigued body. He took more of Charmy's weight and quickened his pace towards the exit.

"When we get back I think we should record the song. Vec would have-"

BANG! A single gunshot split the air. Charmy's abdomen exploded. The bullet passed straight through the bee and hit Espio in the side. All the air was knocked out of Espio's lungs and he dropped Charmy. He staggered backward just as a pool of red streamed beneath Charmy and congealed at Espio's feet.

Shock kept Espio from feeling any pain. He dropped to one knee and watched as his blood mixed with Charmy's. His vision blurred. The gray parking garage morphed into a dark forest. Bramble barred his way and branches clung at his face as Espio cut through the forest. Fear was in his heart and fire was before him.

When he reached the gardens, Espio stopped. The monastery, his home for the last seven years, was ablaze. Gun fire and the clash of swords echoed in the night. Espio reached behind him and drew his katana. The black steel shimmered in the red hue of the fire. He rushed forward and found the gardens infiltrated with the invaders.

But then he was back in the parking garage. Espio had crawled towards Charmy. His friend wasn't moving anymore. He heard boots and the rattle of a heavy belt buckle. Espio lifted his eyes to see a strange figure walking towards him. They looked kind of like a wolf mixed with a jerboa and had striking purple fur. Its eyes were concealed beneath the brim of a wide cowboy hat. In his hand he held a revolver with a smoking barrel. He smirked down at Espio with a wide toothy grin.

"I must admit, I am very impressed, and I don't get impressed easily." The newcomer drew back his hat to reveal a set of narrowed, cunning eyes.

Espio's attention locked on the gun. Rage brewed inside him but his body could not respond. Shock was giving way to pain and Espio felt on the verge of fainting. "Not many fellas can take down an entire squadron of GUN agents. But not everyone is Espio the ninja are they?" He had a strong accent and he munched on a straw of wheat as he spoke.

"Who are you?" Espio groaned.

He spun his revolver on his finger. "Names Fang, they call me the Sniper. As you can see, it's an earned title." Fang motioned to Charmy's body and smiled.

That was too much for Espio. He forced himself to stand. The effort earned a snicker from Fang. "You really are too much. On your knees, on your feet? Does it really matter when the result is the same?" In a split second Fang went from spinning his gun to pointing at Espio's heart.

Espio staggered and his vision blurred. The barrel of Fang's gun transformed into the edge of a blade. He was back in the gardens. His katana cut through the armor of the human invaders like cheese. When he had cleared the gardens he prepared to rush up to the monastery and join the fighting when he heard coughing behind him. He raced towards the sound and found Master Sakai. The fox had propped himself up against one of the shrines in the center of the garden. His robe was torn and a trail of blood encircled him.

NO! Again, Espio pushed away the memory and returned to the present. Fang pulled back the hammer of his revolver. "No hard feelings mate, it's just a job." Espio was woozy and it was difficult for him to stay focused. He looked down and saw that both he and Fang were standing in a red puddle. It should be enough. "Any last words?"

"Jōki!" The blood beneath him hissed and a rush of hot steam erupted between Espio and Fang. Espio dove to the side. BANG! BANG! Clutching his side, Espio raced for the exit. As soon as he got outside he slammed the door shut. BANG! A bullet ripped through the metal door.

Desperate and wounded, Espio hobbled down the street. It was midafternoon but there weren't many people on the streets. He limped for the far street and towards an alley between buildings. A few passersbys spotted him and paused in alarm. Before they could try and help him though shots rang out. BANG! BANG!

Espio entered the alley. BANG! BANG! Fang was pursuing him out in the open. Panicked and barely able to even walk, Espio turned a corner and turned his skin the color of the brick behind him. He was invisible but it made no difference. A red trail marked his movement and stopped right where Espio was hiding.

Gritting his teeth, Espio put his hand over the wound. "Usureru!" Pain exploded on his side and the red blood vanished. The trick would not stop the bleeding but it would at least conceal it. Espio dipped his fingers into the blood on the ground and wiped it on a nearby fence. He then went back and started to climb one of the building walls.

Mere moments later, the sound of clinking echoed in the alley. Fang strutted in and clicked his teeth. "I've heard of this. This is the part where you go invisible ain't it?" Fang spun his gun confidently and walked around the alley.

Espio could barely hear him. It was taking every ounce of his energy to stay connected to the wall. He moved extremely slowly so as to not make any noise. "There's a problem with that strategy mate." BANG! Fang's bullet destroyed the brick Espio had been hiding near previously.

"Ooooo, smarter than he looks is he?" Fang walked around some more, no doubt trying to read the blood trail. He rattled the fence but was not convinced to go over.

Espio pressed his head against the wall. Everything around him was spinning. Please…please just leave…

"You tryna play me for a fool?" BANG! BANG! Fang fired random shots throughout the alley. One struck the building right above Espio. For the next ten minutes, Fang examined the alley while Espio slowly climbed to the top of the building.

When he ascended he fell face first onto the rooftop. His body was utterly spent. Blood trickled out of his open wound and Espio's vision darkened. He approached Master Sakai cautiously. The old foxe's thin eyes creased open. He tried to speak but his mouth was full of congealed blood. Espio knelt beside him and felt all his strength and rage deplete. Sakai reached out to him but his life left him before he could even touch Espio. He sprawled out over the statue. Beside him lay Vector and next to him was Charmy.

Espio took his katana and hurled it into the darkness of the garden. He laid down and prepared to join his friends. Above him was a full moon that slowly darkened. Large leathery wings entered his vision and Espio wondered if a demon had come to drag him into the underworld for his failure to defend his friends. Strong arms gathered him and Espio felt himself taken up into the sky.

AN: Next chapter will come out on 4/7. Please feel free to leave a review if you have any comments on the story so far