Chapter 14: Nuclear
"DO I LOOK LIKE A FUCKING TERRORIST!!!?" Stars shouted. He was sitting in a police van outside the building. "I'M DRESSED IN A FUCKING FOOTBALL SHIRT FOR FUCK SAKE!!!!!!"
"Will you stop shouting!" an SAS troop yelled back.
"I'M ON YOUR FUCKING SIDE!" Stars shouted back. "My name is Stars Staray, I work for MI5. Call Marie on my phone; she'll confirm it."
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!!!!" a voice shouted.
The two troops and Stars looked at a leopard dressed in black.
"Sir!" both soldiers answered and saluted.
"Didn't you two receive the briefing?" he shouted. "This is Stars Staray; the MI5 agent."
"See! I told you!"
The leopard pulled out a sharp knife can cut off the plastic tie.
"My name is Lt. Col. Leon Dalo," he said. "I was in charge of this operation."
"Stars Staray," he extended his hand and Dalo shook it. "MI5 officer."
"Your friends will be out in a few minutes. Mets has sent Special Branch and MI5 investigators to check out all the computers and files."
"Cool," Stars said. "What's the time?"
Dalo looked at his watch. " Twenty past six."
"It's been a long day," Stars said.
"It's the same for a lot of people."
Stars stood up and went out the van. When he stood outside it started to rain.
"It's just gets better," Stars said chuckling.
"Ah well, that's life."
"As you can see behind me," a female cockatoo journalist said, "the police are not letting anyone go within a two-hundred meter radius to the warehouse on Matilda Street. There has been gun fire and explosions but the police have refuse to comment on what has been happening."
"How will this affect us?" Edward asked; he was aiming the question to the Party Chairman.
"It's too early to tell at the moment but if it goes well then the public would love us for taking action so quickly and that we are taking on the terrorists," the Chairman answered.
"And if it goes badly?"
"Then the best we can hope for is that pubic is happy that we are doing something and relies that we couldn't do anything. The worst is Parliament demands an inquiry and could force the resignations of Tom, David or even you; but that is highly unlikely."
"How is it going at the moment?" Edward asked Sir Daniel.
"Winston rang me saying that the SAS haven't lost any men and that MI5 and Special Branch are on they way," Sir Daniel.
"Good News then."
Stars saw SAS troops leaving the building and MI5 and police officers entering it. After a couple of minutes he saw his fellow MI5 field officers exit the building. Stars walked towards them.
Jessica was the first to notice the green star-cat with blue hair coming towards they group.
"STARS!" she shouted. She rushed towards him and hugged him.
Stars was surprised by his twin sister's action and said: "you're never been this friendly towards me."
"Considering that we fear that you were dead, I think I'm justified to react like this," Jessica answered
She broke away from him and then punched him in the chest.
"Now NEVER do that again!" she shouted.
"Yeah," Stars said, "that's the Jessica I know."
Something then caught Stars' eye. He saw leaving the building was three paramedics with Agolo on a gurney. He watched them as they moved towards an ambulance.
"I'm sorry everyone," Natalie said. "I have to go."
She ran off towards the paramedics. They were putting the gorilla in the back when she got there.
"Sorry to bother you," she said, "but I was wondering if I can go with him? He hasn't got anyone else."
The paramedics quickly spoke between themselves for a moment and one of them radioed their superior.
"Hop in then," one of them said to her a minute after she asked the question.
An MI5 technician, a 24-year-old male black bear, at the Central Diamond Police Station had finally been about to see Winston Drake.
"Sorry to bother you sir," the young technician said, "but I think you really need to see this." In his hand was a video tape.
"Put it in," Winston said.
The technician obeyed and then turned on the TV in the office. It took a second before the video started up.
"You sent an agent into the underground system, right?"
"Yeah," Winston answered.
The video showed footage of Jamie Radstock going into and dragged out of the narrow walkway and footage of Graham Selmon and Weston McAlpine AKA Atomic.
"Thank you," Winston said to the technician. "Continue with your work, I got some calls to make."
The technician was about to leave when Winston asked: "what's your name?"
"Ted Harrison," he answered.
Winston wrote it down on a piece of scrap paper on the desk.
"You'll get a good mention in the report."
"Thank you sir," Ted said and left the room.
Winston picked up the phone and typed in a number.
"Marie," he said, "we have a problem."
At the warehouse Sonic's mobile started to ring.
"Hello?" he said.
"Sonic, I need you all to go back to the house," Marie said. "Now."
She hung up and Sonic put his phone back.
"Okay everyone," Sonic said, "back to Imperial Road."
Mount Hammal had finally made it to a car park. It was a car park for one of the university's halls of residence. The cars were mostly small cars, but they were some more expensive cars who were owned by the more well-off students.
Mount saw a silver BMW and decide that was the car to steal. He unlocked the door and sat down. He adjusted the sit and started the engine.
His only worry was that the police will stop him because of the curfew but if he could make it out of the city and head for the town of Madison, fifty miles away then his was free.
He reversed from the parking space and started the final leg of his escape.
The group of MI5 agents arrived at 7 Imperial Road at 6:53 pm. Sonic was the first to get to the door and rang the door bell.
Marie answered it and let them all in. She led them to the lounge. She remained standing whiles the others sat down any way they can.
Marie quickly looked at the group and noticed something:
"Where's Natalie?" she asked.
"She went to hospital with Agolo," Stars answered.
"Is she hurt?" Marie asked.
"No."
"That's good then," Marie said. "Anyway Mets has given you lot another mission."
"Oh Christ," Claws muttered.
"This is important," Marie snapped. "Mets needs some of you to go into the underground to find a missing MI5 agent." She showed them a photo of the agent. "His name is Jamie Radstock; he was taken by two men in a tunnel of the underground in the city centre; under Fredrick Street.
"I only want Sonic, Claws, Stars and Knuckles to go down. There is a very powerful evolver down they and Mets and I doubt Ninja and Jessica can handle him."
"What's this bloke's powers then?" Sonic asked.
"He his highly radioactive and he is believe to be about to shoot very powerful beams," Marie answered.
"Was he a jaguar?" Claws asked.
"Yes."
"Shit!" Sonic and Claws shouted.
"You know him then?" Knuckles asked.
"We met him two weeks ago," Claws said. "He was a bastard to fight against."
"Anyway," Marie said. "You'll enter the through a service tunnel on Empire Road. Once in you have entered you'll have to walk up three streets before you'll under Fredrick Street. When you get they start searching."
"Do we get anything besides mobiles?" Claws asked. "They'll be too weak to use in the tunnels."
"I got some military radios," Marie said. "They'll be connected to me and Mets."
"Are they there now?" Stars asked.
"We don't know," Marie answered. "They have destroyed the CCTV cameras; but we doubt they are anywhere else."
"Do we get radiation suits?" Sonic asked.
"Yes. We're waiting for them to be delivered."
"I don't like this," Graham Selmon said to Atomic. They were in a room designed a rest area for underground workers. Graham was walking around in a circle in stress. Atomic was sitting on chair and Jamie tied up and gagged.
"Don't worry about it Graham," Atomic said. "You had the injection and we are going to cause a lot of damage."
Seconds later the phone on the desk started to ring.
Atomic picked it up and said: "hello?"
"It's Mount," an Australian male voice said. "I got some bad news."
"FUCKING HELL!!" Atomic shouted and scared Graham and Jamie. "What happened?"
"The SAS and MI5 have raided our building. I've escaped but I don't know about the others. I'm heading for Madison right now and then going to leave the country tomorrow."
"Why should I care," Atomic said. "You fucked up!"
The growing jaguar smashed the phone and looked at Graham.
"Okay," he said. "We have to go and set up the bomb."
"WHAT?" Graham screamed.
"Oh yeah, you better kill him as well."
Jamie sat up in shock and started to plea; but his gag mumbled any sounds he made.
"Use this," Atomic said, giving Graham a penknife he found on the side of the office. "Cut his throat."
"I can't," Graham said. "I can't murder a man."
"You're already done it pal! You kill a lot of people this morning."
"That was different; that was for a political cause."
"Won't make a difference to the police," Atomic said. "He'll die anyway; but we can't risk anyone finding him."
"But what about Vicky? Ain't we going to rescue her?"
"We will," Atomic said. "I can take on the police.
"Now kill the fucker!"
Graham took the knife and walked to Jamie. He put it against the agent's throat and said: "I'm sorry" before doing on swift motion and ending the life of James Anthony Radstock.
The phone in Winston's office started to ring. The black cat picked it up.
"Sir," a familiar male voice said. "A group of analysts including myself have looked at CCTV footage and found that the two men haven't go anyway else in the tunnels, stations or the ground. They must still be the same section of the underground."
"Thanks Ted," Winston said and disconnected the phone. He then dialled a number and it rang two times before it was answered.
"John," Winston said. "I want all the tunnels block off."
Atomic was doing the final adjustment to the bomb that Graham and other Fascists had placed in a small pocket in the wall of the tunnel. It would a powerful coup if the bomb destroyed the city because it would topple the government of the country and force over nations to negotiate with them to prevent future attacks.
The jaguar then heard the sound of metal grinding and he looked to see a large metal door sliding across to the block up the tunnel.
"NO!!!!!!!!" Atomic shouted and started to shoot at the door. However it made no different; the door was made from reinforced steel and the most he did was dent it slightly.
The doors were made as a defensive measure to defend the underground from flooding and fire and keep it concentrated in one area; but now it had a added role of blocking a very powerful 'evolver' from escaping.
The doors shut completely. There was no escape.
"DAMN IT!!!!!!" Atomic shouted in his strong American accent. "SON OF A BITCH!!!!"
The time was 7:34 pm. At 7 Imperial Road there was a knock on the door. Marie went to answer it.
The ginger cat with black hair came back with came into the lounge with a male tortoise in a suit came into the room with a large briefcase.
"Good evening gentlemen," the tortoise said. "My name is Dr. Roger Berg; I work for the Hazard team. In here is your suits," he was pointing to the briefcase. "Now from the data I received from the intelligence services I determent that you can be able to fight the jaguar for half-an-hour before running the risk of illness. But you cannot rip the suits in any way."
Dr. Berg opened the briefcase and took all four thin radiation suits for the agents. All of them took off their shoes and started to put on the suits. Claws put his on up to his waist when he noticed a problem.
"Doc," the dark green star-cat said. "They may be a problem." He extended his claws to show the doctor what the problem was.
"Yes, well, you have to fight without them this time."
"That's fucking useless then!"
"A Special Forces teams will be waiting if you need them," Marie said changing the subject. "A car is outside already to take you to the tunnel."
"Good luck gentlemen," Dr. Berg said.
Atomic set up the bomb in the hole. He set it up to go off in two hours; believing that he'll be about to break out of the tunnel and the city within an hour.
In the office Graham was traumatized. The events of the day have affected him but murdering Jamie Radstock was the final act for a man who normally shows no violence. He had placed the knife against his wrists and so tempted to cut them.
Atomic entered the office.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!!!!" Atomic shouted. He up to Graham and took the knife off his hand.
"I'm sorry," Graham said, breaking down in tears. "But I can't handle this shit."
"BE A MAN!"
"I'm not like you. I don't have the training to handle it."
"Well you better shape up and fly right! I need you to open the doors," Atomic said.
"What doors?"
"The doors blocking the tunnels."
"I'll have a look."
The army brought the MI5 agents to Empire Road. It felt so strange; it seem like sprit of the city had been killed; it was normally so busy with people starting to go to the pubs and others doing some last minute shopping just before the stores closed. Other people when to sporting events or leaving the city after a match.
But now it was empty. The only people around were police and troops. It felt like country has gone to war and that will suffer because of it.
What added to ghostly affect was that all the bright lights of the building were on; showing nothing but troops and police and completely dark sky with raindrops coming down.
A solider showed them how to use and gave them all an army issue rifle with two types of experimental bullets that produced either an electric shock or a mini explosion.
After the weapons briefing the agents went into the tunnel and to face Atomic in battle.
Two minutes later Graham was walking towards the service tunnel. He knew everything about the tunnels; he had to for his job.
The mole then heard footsteps and he decided to move and stand against the tunnel.
"I can sense someone," a male voice said. "It's a bloke standing against the wall."
"Shit!" Graham muttered and started to run back towards Atomic.
But he only ran for a few seconds. He felt a man hit him in the back and forced him to the fall down. Then he felt a hand which pulled him up and being forced up against the tunnel.
"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!!!!" a blue hedgehog in a radiation suit shouted.
Graham just stuttered; he was too scared to answer.
Sonic looked into Graham's eyes and realized who he was.
"You're the bastard that planted the bomb this morning!" Sonic yelled. He punched him with right fist. He punched him as hard and as furiously as possible until the mole fell to the floor.
Graham started to crawl, trying to get away from the angry beast he has awakened.
Sonic kicked him in the stomach and yelled: "YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY THAT EASILY!!!"
He started to kick him some more and Graham started to cough up blood. At this rate Sonic would kill him within minutes and he'll be the one standing trial.
But suddenly Sonic couldn't move. He was about to kick him again when his position was held.
"STARS YOU BASTARD!!" Sonic shouted. "YET ME FINISH THE JOB!!"
"No," Stars said. "We got to go for the green jaguar." He turned to Claws. "You stay behind and question him. Us three will take him on."
"Well you better be careful," Claws said. "If I hear that you're in trouble I'll come straight away."
Claws put his rifle behind his back and took out his pistol. He pointed it at Graham's head and said "start talking."
Atomic was continuing blasting at the door, making the dent bigger.
"Well if it ain't the big green giant," Atomic heard behind him.
"Sonic Spike," Atomic said. "Still got your boyfriend to help you out."
"No," Sonic answered. "But I got this." He fired his gun and explosive bullet hit Atomic's side as he was turning and forced him into the door.
The MI5 agents looked at Atomic and saw a large wound on the jaguar. It was slowly healing over.
"Everybody shoot!" Sonic ordered.
Graham was sitting against the wall. Claws was still pointing his gun at Graham's head but let him move because Claws knew the mole was no real threat.
Both heard gun fire and screaming in the distant.
"Tell me everything!" Claws ordered.
"I was only a runner," Graham said. "I was only following orders."
"Do you think I care about that? Do you think that matters to intelligence services, the courts, the government or the people! Anything you wanted to achieve has now been hamper! NOW TELL ME EVERYTHING!"
"My name is Graham Selmon," he answered quickly. "I'm a worker on the tube and they asked me to place the bomb. This was meant to be a part of a co-ordinated attack on the city. They were nineteen other bombs placed around the city; the aim was to distract MI5 and Special Branch." Tears were running down his face and he had to snort.
"Distract them from what?" Claws asked calmly.
"From the nuclear bomb we planted in this tunnel."
Claws' eyes widen. He grabbed his radio and said "there is a nuclear bomb in the tunnel!"
It took a few seconds before anyone answered.
"Could you repeat that?" Mets asked.
"They is a nuclear bomb in the underground tunnel," Claws answered.
Mets dropped the radio and grabbed the phone. He dialled a number on the phone waited a couple of second before someone answered.
"Hello," a voice said.
"General!" Mets said firmly. "Send a Hazard team to the underground! NOW!"
"Where?" the General asked.
"Under Fredrick Street."
"Stars and I will search for the bomb," Sonic said. "You keep him under control."
"Will do," Knuckles said.
Stars started to feel around on the left side of the tunnel, Sonic was on the right side. This was a massive job; it really needed a team to search the tunnel, not two men.
Knuckles kept his eyes on Atomic. He knew that the jaguar wasn't going anywhere; but he was powerful and Knuckles couldn't take any chances.
The echidna heard a stone knocking against the wall and quickly looked behind him. Atomic saw this as his opportunity and pointed his left fist at Knuckles. Knuckles turned his head back at the jaguar.
"SHIT!!" he shouted and jumped out of the way just as Atomic was shooting his beam.
Stars and Sonic turned around. Atomic was now standing and aimed two beams at the hedgehog and star-cat. Stars created a psychic shield and Sonic jumped out the way.
"You thought you had me," Atomic teased. "But I'll show you that you're wrong."
He aimed his beams at Knuckles' rifle and destroyed it before he could get it out the way.
Sonic and Stars started to shoot rapidly. Atomic increased the energy around him the bullets were destroyed before they got to his body.
Both ran out of bullets. Atomic aimed a beam at Sonic. He jumped but his rifle was also destroyed.
Stars put his rifle behind his back.
"You may be powerful," Stars said, "but I'm your worst nightmare."
Stars punched into the air and Atomic felt a fist hit him in the face. He then did a sweeping action with his right hand and Atomic felt his left leg being hit and he fell down.
Stars started to use his powers to loosen a concrete panel on the roof of the tunnel. The panel was about to fall when Atomic rolled around and it smashed into pieces.
"Damn!" Stars snapped.
Atomic aimed another beam at Stars. Stars had to form another psychic shield to protect himself whiles the jaguar was standing up.
Knuckles punched into the air and two purple energy balls flew towards Atomic. They hit and the jaguar flew backwards and hit the door. Knuckles did it again. Atomic grew angry. He shot two powerful beams at the, ripping the ground a part. He aimed at the sides and roof of the tunnel. Stars and Knuckles were unable to stand.
"HOW DARE YOU COME HERE AND CHALLENGE ME!" Atomic shouted. "HOW DARE YOU TRY AND STOP OUR WORK!!"
He was about to shoot them when he scream in pain from a hit from an electric bullet and lost concentration.
"LEAVE THEM ALONE!!" Claws shouted. He was standing a distance away and it was a hell of shot for someone with his lack of experience with army weapons.
"YOU AGAIN!" Atomic shouted back.
The jaguar prepared to do another shot when Stars did another sweeping action and Atomic fell to the ground and shot at the roof of the tunnel.
Sonic knew he couldn't stand idly by whiles his family and friend were fighting one tough son-of-a-bitch. He still had the White Chaos Emerald and he had to focus to. He felt the energy of millions of years flow through his blood.
He did it again; he had become Super Sonic.
"Why don't you face someone with real power?!" Sonic shouted.
Atomic turned to face the hedgehog. He shot two beams at Sonic. Sonic shot two beams back intercepting Atomic's beams. Sonic shot two more at Atomic, forcing him backwards and hitting the door. Sonic then shot more beams until the jaguar was unconscious.
Sonic focused again and became his ordinary blue self. He reached for his radio and said "we got him."