Chapter 4 – Family, Hearth and Home.
"I'm home" Sonic yelled as he slid the door open and stepped inside. Strange, no-one was answering him as he strode through the hallway. Just as well; after embarrassing him like that he wouldn't have been surprised if they'd run to Tails' workshop in the Mystic Ruins. Oh well, he'd always have tomorrow to cook up something…
"Get 'im!"
Sonic's reactions were fast but as he felt something crash his legs and send him sprawling he knew he'd walked right into this one. A furry arm caught him in a headlock, pretty much stopping him from struggling before he'd even started. He growled as Tails' mocking voice whispered in his ear,
"Right Sonic, you got a choice; say 'Tails, I'm eternally sorry for forcing you to go shopping with me and Amy', or face the consequences!"
"When I get free, I'll show you what consequences are" the hedgehog vowed, bracing himself for the worst whilst simultaneously trying to shake Shadow off his legs. No luck, the black hedgehog had him in a grip of iron as Tails silently wetted a finger, grinning like a chimp as he imagined Sonic's reaction,
"Okay, you asked for it. Wet willie of doom!"
"Yeeearrgh", Sonic bucked like a bronco as he felt the kit's finger push into his ear, "you are a dead fox" he screamed as Tails and Shadow both laughed.
"So much for the unflappable hero" Shadow quipped as they both let go at the same time, Tails bolting for the spare room and slamming the door as Sonic, bellowing like a rogue elephant, tore after him. He crashed into the door as manic laughter could be heard from the other side.
"You can't stay in there forever!"
"I'm…gonna try", Tails gasped, trying to contain himself, "I'm safe and you can't get me. Na-na-nana-na!" Sonic let out a cry of rage before turning to the second guilty party.
Shadow had an ace up his sleeve as the other hedgehog approached, but he was still a tad worried – he could nearly see his friend breathing fire. Sonic's red face clashed with his blue fur, giving him a quite patriotic look if you were from the right country. The hedgehog wasn't really angry at Tails per se; his ego simply demanded he get even with the smart fox and his partner in crime. Sonic brought himself up short, speaking in a calm voice that nonetheless suggested attempted murder wasn't too far from the hedgehog's mind,
"You have to the count of three to tell me why I shouldn't kill you." Shadow put on a worried face.
"Well, the thing is…"
"One." Sonic held up one finger, clenching his other hand into a fist.
"…he sort of forced me into it but…"
"Two." The hedgehog was gearing up to spring; Shadow decided to play his ace, holding up a slim bit of metal,
"…I've got the key to the spare room".
Silence. For a second all was still before an audible gulp penetrated the spare room door. Sonic looked bemused for a second before grinning maliciously, taking the key from Shadow's outstretched hand and turning back round.
"Oh Miles", he said in a sing-song voice, "what was that about being safe?" Shadow chortled, picturing the expression Tails was probably wearing right about now.
"Uhh, Sonic, please, it was just a joke, don't kill me" the fox pleaded as Sonic inserted the key into the lock.
"Oh don't worry, I won't kill you", the hedgehog promised as the lock clicked and he pushed against the door; Tails must have been desperately leaning against it to keep it shut, "not at first anyway".
"No, mercy; Shadow, I'll get you for this!"
"Sorry man, it was you or me" the ultimate life-form chuckled as Sonic finally forced the door open, advancing on the kit menacingly. Tails gulped again and closed his eyes,
"Monkey scrub?" Sonic shook his head as he laced his fingers and cracked them, relishing the panic Tails was in,
"Oh no, that's far too good for you". Tails looked up confused,
"What the…", Shadow saw him go pale as he looked up at Sonic's face, "no, anything but that, help!" he pleaded as Sonic roared,
"Tickle attack!" and pounced. Shadow left them to it as he settled down and switched the T.V on, trying to listen over Tails' hysterical shrieks and Sonics' admonishing of the young kit. Despite himself he smiled; he knew that Sonic and Tails loved each other like brothers. That didn't stop them annoying the living hell out of each other though, just like brothers should.
Journey in easy. Target building in sight. Grapple caught well. Climb completed minutes ahead of schedule.
The room was dark, the only sounds present were gentle snores as both Nack and Rouge slept, completely dead to the world, neither one suspecting that the Mobian hunting them already had his target marked and was preparing to spring.
"He's not dead is he?" Shadow asked innocently as Sonic moved into the lounge of the apartment they shared; "ah, obviously not", he added as he caught sight of a completely out of breath Tails. The fox's flanks heaved as he worked on a sarcastic rejoinder,
"Oh, just great. I owe you one Shadow the Hedgehog". Tails glared venomously as he slumped down into a cushioned seat and Sonic smiled in triumph,
"Hey little bro, you brought that on yourself. You should know by now; you just can't beat the unbeatable". The hedgehog gave his trademark victory smile as Tails tried to frown at him. The fox just couldn't hold it though and eventually smiled,
"Whatever, just admit it; I got you good first".
"Okay, you got me good, but you deserved that shopping trip, embarrassing me like that". Shadow leant forward, curiosity piqued,
"What was this; I missed this bit. What happened?"
"Tails told Amy he thought I liked her".
"So, that's true isn't it?" Gotcha, Shadow thought as Sonic turned a dark look on him and shook a fist; the blue hedgehog was so easy to wind up when it came to that girl.
"You want some of this mate; no, it's not true. Of course, Amy went off on one and dragged me off shopping. Tails tried to sneak off and I didn't let him; if I suffered, so did he. He started it anyway". Shadow nodded solemnly,
"Well, you suffered for the cause dudes; no-one makes chilli-dogs like Amy can". That statement broke the mood as all three agreed. All of them watched a little T.V before Tails yawned and stretched,
"You want the spare room Tails?" Shadow offered, noting the fox's tired expression.
"Yeah, it's too late to get back to the Ruins. Mind…"
"You don't need to ask" both hedgehogs answered simultaneously, Shadow standing up and moving to get some bedding for the spare bed. Sonic smiled at his oldest friend, offering his hand,
"Hey Tails, still pals?" The fox clasped the pro-offered paw, echoing his friend's smile as he replied,
"You bet, but I still got you better than you got me". Sonic chuckled and nodded, noting the spark in Tails' eyes; he didn't know what he'd do if the fox he'd known since his childhood ever lost his bubbly personality. It was the single, main thought that motivated him; in all the years he'd been fighting his enemies, whenever he'd hit rock bottom and felt he couldn't go any further the thought of Tails, his only family, had caused him to grit his teeth and carry on. He owed the fox a debt he could never pay; if the two of them hadn't met, he reckoned he'd have probably ended up beaten on the field of battle, just another victim of Robotnik's megalomania. He needed Tails; without him, it would have been like missing an arm, there would have been no point in fighting the way he did. Tears threatened to spill out of his eyes at these memories, so he smiled and gave a tug, reminding himself of why it was worth it.
The hedgehog pulled suddenly and Tails found himself engulfed in an embrace which he reciprocated; Sonic was the only family he'd ever known and had been equal parts father, mother and elder brother to the young fox. Tails didn't think he'd never be able to repay Sonic for what he'd done but as he felt the hedgehog's heart beating, just as he had when Sonic had rocked him to sleep despite the childhood nightmares, he vowed he'd try his hardest. Shadow, returning with an armful of laundry, noticed the two having a 'family moment' and quietly headed for the spare room alone; he was close to the pair of them, but nowhere near as close as the two were to each other. He didn't begrudge them; as an outsider, he could see that the two needed each other; Tails benefited from the hedgehog's devil-may-care attitude and recklessness in the face of danger while Tails' level head and intelligence were the perfect foil for the blue blur.
He frowned a little; he thought he had been close to someone, once upon a time, before the accident – he put a hand to his head and strained to remember, but no, there was nothing there, just darkness that he couldn't penetrate no matter how hard he tried. Sighing, the midnight hedgehog shrugged; if he couldn't remember the past, he was damn well going to enjoy the present.
The two Mobians eventually released each other and let out a simultaneous sigh. Both smiled, but Sonic spoke first,
"Thanks Tails; remember you've always got a place here if you need it".
"I know Sonic, and thanks", the kit replied, smile broadening, "soon, I'll be able to make you the same offer". The hedgehog chortled and rubbed the fox's ears, remarking,
"My little bro's growing up; go on, you better get to bed, it's nearly eleven. Goodnight Tails". The fox winked and shot a finger-gun at his elder brother,
"Right back at you bro, see you in the morning". The fox headed for his bed, nodding at Shadow as he passed the black hedgehog in the hall. Shadow re-entered the lounge, noting Sonic standing up and stretching,
"You turning in as well?"
"Yeah, could do with an early night. You?"
"Nah, not for a bit, I want to catch the news first".
"Catch the news; you couldn't catch a cold". Shadow raised an eyebrow,
"We'll see about that tomorrow".
"Count on it; see ya Shads".
"Later Sonic".
Alone in the darkness, something sprang forward over what looked like a suicide jump between two apartment blocks. If anyone had been in the alley to look up, they would have seen an uncontrolled plummet quickly revert to a gentle glide as a small parachute deployed and the controller steered gently into the side of the furthest apartment block. With precision timing, a pair of feet touched down on the windowsill of one of the apartments; he had landed and no-one had heard a sound.
The window was slightly open. Needed a small wire. Just a little longer.
As the weather was a little warmer than normal for the time of year, he'd seen the window had been left slightly ajar but locked. However, window locks weren't designed to be unbreakable and no-one knew that better than the figure now crouched over thirty feet in the air, resting on a six-inch windowsill. With minute precision a tiny wire, no thicker than a hair clip, was gently threaded under the gap in the window and, after a few tries, into the window lock. Unlocking the window was difficult; more a matter of luck than anything else, so it was at least quarter of an hour of cramped, uncomfortable work before the lock clicked and the window could be eased open. With a shift of footing, a very slight creak and a rush of displaced air, the shadow at the window swung itself into the apartment.
Nack's whisker twitched as a tiny puff of air toyed with it; damn place is falling apart the bounty hunter grumbled before sleep swallowed him again.
There was no sound as the shadowy assassin's booted feet sank into the carpet of the hallway. Silently sliding the window shut, senses keener than the edge of his Spyder strained to try and catch the faintest hint he'd been detected. There was nothing, just gentle snores coming from the bedroom. As a tiny pack of moonlight crept out from behind the overhanging cloud, a sinister silhouette was formed as the figure crept silently forwards, the silver light highlighting the black leather of his uniform and face-hugging mask. After placing an ear to the bedroom door and assuring himself there were no surprises lurking in there, the figure pushed the door slowly forwards.
Rouge's ear flicked; under normal circumstances that may have awakened the spy, but a heavy jetlag was not normal circumstances. So she slept on, unknowing and unsuspecting the fate that would befall her.
There. Target in bed.. Cut off the air and render the target senseless. Leave the mark. Another grudge would soon be settled.
Moving in the deepest darkness the bedroom had to offer the Mobian moved forwards, eyes never leaving the bed where the target was sleeping. Silently, mere feet at a time, the ground was covered until the dark stranger was stood next to head of the bed, pausing and immobile for a second, maybe deciding on the best course of action to subdue the target. A single arm, swathed in black leather, reached forwards, so slowly it appeared to be stationary, moving as gradually as a stalactite grew. There was a sudden shift in the blanket as the target rolled over.
Nack tossed and turned, lost too deeply in sleep to register anything meaningful. He was never aware of the danger as it reached out to claim him.
The arm stopped suddenly; its master scrutinising the sleeping form before it.
This was incorrect. The target was a bat, not a hedgehog. This was the last known address of the target. Target relocation since information gathered unlikely. More data required. Harming innocents is illegal. The law can not be broken.
Just as slowly as it had advanced, the figure's arm withdrew, the glove covering the hand slowly retracting into a fist. Regarding the mislabelled target, the figure gave a single, shallow nod; the mission parameters had now been altered. This was no longer a take, it was a deep reconnaissance of the target's base of operations. The primary objective was to uncover the current location of the target, all other information was useful but expendable. Removing itself from the bedroom, the would-be kidnapper quietly closed the door, leaving Amy Rose sleeping as soundly as she had been when he arrived.
Moving more quickly now, though time wasn't really a problem, the hunt began. Draws and cupboards were silently opened and quickly given a professional rifling. Dexterous fingers rapidly shuffled unimportant papers, sifting the information necessary for the mission to be completed. This was insufficient; though useful, there was nothing showing the current location of the target. Leaving the kitchen, the professional burglar moved swiftly into the living room, where trained eyes quickly fell on the telephone. Or more specifically, the notepad at the side of the telephone. On the topmost piece of paper was a single sentence; this read:
Rouge emergency – 07909 635678 (only if really desperate!).
This was enough. A mobile telephone could be traced easily. The mission was a success. No reason to remain here.
After memorising the number, there was a quick flurry of movement and a muted whump as the opened window was opened as fully as possible. An acrobatic twist later and the window was replaced, slightly ajar. The window couldn't be relocked but that was probably irrelevant; if the hedgehog noticed, she would most likely assume she'd failed to close the window properly. There was minimal risk of discovery. A mental check failed to highlight any possible errors, so the parachute was used again and the figure glided silently to the alley below. There was still work to be done before the night ended.
In the tiny, cramped apartment on the other side of town some time later, a tiny green light glowed for a second as a low buzzing filled the air. Neither Nack nor Rouge was aware of the phone ringing before, as swiftly as it had begun, it was stifled. At a deserted industrial complex, blackened fingers flickered like fire across a keyboard, the GPS information homing in on the signal from the receiving mobile phone. A continent became a country, which became a region, which became a city – a swift mouse click brought up a highly detailed 3D map of the city – and eventually a single building was highlighted. After noting the address, the laptop was shut down and the satellite link closed.
The target is still within the city parameters. This will make the reconnaissance less difficult. Rest for now. The reconnaissance will be completed tomorrow evening. This mission is accomplished successfully.
