Chapter 5 – Hunted in the Darkness.
The light streaming in from his window was shining right into his eyes. Nack really, really didn't want to get up; he was still soooo sleepy and the bed was warm and comfortable, but he couldn't sleep with the light that direct. Gritting his teeth and groaning inwardly, the weasel pulled himself upright, rubbing his eyes to try and clear the accumulation of sleep from them. His poor, heavy head rolled on his neck, cracking in a variety of unpleasant ways, reminiscent of a pair of hobnail boots trampling over gravel. Shrugging off the covers reluctantly, Nack pulled himself out of his pit and stretched all the parts of himself he could decently stretch in female company. He winced; apparently he had developed a severe and advanced case of rigor mortis at some stage last night – every joint in his body went off like a firecracker. Groaning again, the weasel glanced down at the still slumbering form of Rouge; the bat was still completely dead to the world. She always was a heavy sleeper he recounted as he lit up a smoke and wondered about breakfast.
"Good morning sir, how may I help you?" The hippo at the counter had that perfectly chirpy, help-everyone attitude that tended to divide people into two polar groups; those that loved the attitude and those that wanted to strangle the person afflicted with it. Nack fell into the latter category but normally had enough self-control to ignore the voices urging him to do things to the ever-helpful chumps. Bad things that usually involved a heavy club and enough room for a decent swing. However, with the recent events gnawing away at his nerves, it was proving an uphill battle to keep his hands down. He growled something along the lines of 'here' and handed the clerk his grocery tray. Unfortunately, the hippo didn't seem to be able to recognise a cue for silence if it sat up and bit him,
"You're a bit down; anything I can do?" Despite himself, Nack gave a nasty, ironic smile,
"No, not unless you've got the bottle to look Death in the eye and spray his skull pink". The hippo whistled as he continued with his job,
"Sounds like you're in trouble"; that did it utterly, the weasel snapped completely.
"Trouble, I'll tell you about trouble. Trouble is having one of your friends snatched and then finding out someone you thought was dead was behind it. Trouble is trying to think of a way to save your own arse from being snatched next. Trouble is knowing what's happening is your fault because you screwed up years earlier. That is trouble; can you help with that?" Much as he knew he shouldn't have done it, the weasel loved the look of imbecilic shock now stuck to the chunky store assistant's face.
"Errr, ummm…"
"No; didn't think so. Now keep the change". The weasel stormed brusquely as he marched out the store. Despite himself, he smiled viciously as he recounted that exchange; damn it had felt good!
Another person to rise later than usual was Shadow the hedgehog; oh great, just what he needed – bed hair. The hedgehog kicked out of bed, grabbing his towel from where it hung on his wardrobe. He needed a shower both to wake up and to cure his hair problem. Luckily, he'd restocked his shampoo collection not so long ago, so the hair problem could be quickly rectified. Shadow casually sauntered towards the bathroom, slipped off his shoes and clambered into the bath, checking the mat was down so it wouldn't slip underfoot. He drew the curtain round and hit the power button, awaiting the spray of revitalising H2O.
A sudden scream echoed round the apartment causing Sonic to snort into his cereal and Tails to smile wickedly. A latch unbolted, there was the sound of beating feet and Shadow, dripping wet with a wrapped towel covering his modesty, was framed in the kitchen door.
"All right", he spoke softly through chattering teeth, "which one of you jokers turned the shower down to ice water?" His companions simply grinned and exchanged a high-five, leaving the freezing hedgehog fuming. He glared and spun on his heels, heading back towards the bathroom. That was dumb; he should have expected something like that after the actions of last night. He stepped back into the shower, remembering to turn the heat up this time and shivered as a blast of water hit him for a second time. It was hot, hotter than he thought, so hot…
Falling, falling into heat, waiting for the end, but it never came, just falling. His lips moved, but he couldn't hear his own words as his vision faded…
Shadow gasped, his knees turning to water as the memory surged through him. He tried to recover but it was too late; he fell forwards, catching the edge of the bath with his thighs and pitching out of it, the water flying all over the bathroom as he let out a startled yell. Pain blossomed in his shoulder as he hit the tiled floor, though his fall was cushioned by the mat. He heard the door open and Sonic's voice,
"Hey, whoa, easy Shadow", the blue blur stooped to steady him, noticing the black hedgehog's pale face and shallow breathing, "What happened?"
"Falling, I was falling, it was hot" Shadow mumbled, mind racing to try and remember anything else, but no; aside from that fleeting glimpse, there was nothing. Frustrated, he growled,
"Damn it, what the hell's wrong with me. Just flickers, that's all I've got, no past and no memories. I can't deal with this right now…"
"Yes you can", he was cut off in full flow by Tails, the young fox's voice suffused with assurance, "the doctors said that this would happen; that's why you're living with Sonic. If enough of these flashes occur, you'll be able to draw a picture of your past". Tails was concerned but managed to hide it. He felt a great deal of relief as the midnight hedgehog calmed down and took a deep breath, thanking him with his eyes.
"Yeah, you're right Tails, like usual. I think I'll finish my shower and then note this down. Now shoo, I need some privacy".
"Want anything for when you're done?"
"Yeah; coffee and plenty of it". Tails nodded,
"How'd you take it?"
"Just like me kid", Shadow straightened up proudly, "dark, strong and sweet". Tails had to fight down a smile as he nodded and backed out the room, followed by Sonic. Shadow shut the door behind them both and returned to his ablutions.
"How's he been?" Tails asked with a worried look as he heard the shower start up again. His elder brother shrugged, weighing things up in his mind,
"Fine, but that's been his first flash in a while. He'll note it in that diary of his and try to remember more", the blue hedgehog looked pensive as he flicked the switch of the kettle, "I just wish there was more we could do to help" he admitted, shaking his head. Tails shared the concerns of his brother,
"Yeah, I know what you mean, but all we can do is just wait and see really".
"Waiting's never been a pastime of mine", the hedgehog joked, carefully moving a spoonful of coffee into a large mug, "still, just wait for him to finish then run you home, if that's okay?"
"Yeah, I need to get back; my baby needs me", the fox said in a distraught voice, "all cold and alone without me". A sudden thought flashed through Sonic's mind and he seized it,
"I didn't know Cream had moved up there", he smirked as Tail's mouth fell open and a light blush spread up the fox's white muzzle, "oh, touch a nerve did I? Something going…"
"No!" the fox exclaimed, turning away in embarrassment. Damn, Sonic'll tease me for weeks about this!
Shadow hurriedly dried himself off, wanting to note the memory down while it was still fresh in his mind. He moved into his bedroom and pulled out a notebook, about the size of an A5 pad. In the front of this book was written what looked, to him, like a fantastic story, but what Sonic and the others assured him was his past as they remembered it. He read down until he found the part he needed, then turned to an as yet unsullied section of the notebook and took out a pen.
17/06/ - Today had another memory, I was falling and it was hot all around me. Happened when the shower was turned up too high and the water hit me. May be linked to fall through atmosphere, but I'm still not convinced. Still not enough to link memories together, but I might be making slow progress – just wish it would hurry up!
The black hedgehog sighed, snapped the pad shut and set down his pen; now he needed a decent coffee and a morning run to clear his head.
Following the fiasco of the food court, Nack was not a patient Mobian, so when he got back to his apartment to find Rouge still asleep, he decided to wake her up by the most direct route possibly. He nudged the sleeping bat with his toe, increasing the pressure slowly until a hand shot out and grabbed his foot. Rouge turned her head up to the weasel and murmured something about not tickling her when she was trying to sleep. Nack simply didn't care,
"Look princess, you've just had a lie in – enjoy it 'cause it's going to be the last one you'll get in a while. Now eat something; I'm going for a shower". The weasel flounced off before Rouge could come up with a decent retort, so the bat shook herself off and dipped her hand into the bags the weasel had dumped by her makeshift boudoir. She settled for a decent bar of something just about edible as she heard the shower switch on. She finished her ready-made meal just as Nack stepped out of the bathroom, water still clinging to patches of his fur. He grabbed something and proceeded to begin eating as Rouge looked at him squarely,
"Right, let's get on with this".
"Cheers Sonic, see you round Shadow".
"You bet Tails; call us when the Tornado's ready for a spin".
"Sure thing, have a good run you two". The fox waved as he stepped inside his workshop, seeking the right tools to allow the work on his beloved plane to continue. The hedgehogs watched as he disappeared,
"First one home wins?"
"Loser cooks dinner?"
"You're on".
"Go!" With a double boom, twin trails of dust were kicked up in their wakes as the competing hedgehogs pushed themselves to the limits to try and best the other.
The day was mostly silent; the Mobians associated with the Sonic crew went about their business as they had done for as long as they remembered. There was only one exception; Rouge the bat was engrossed in conversation with her partner, trying to come up with a solution that would save them both.
"We can assume he's in Station Square somewhere; should we go after him, it's the last thing he'd expect".
"Yeah, but its suicide", Nack broke that idea dead, "you never worked with Seraph in the guild, you don't know what he's capable of but I'll tell you this – he's not going to be surprised by anything we do". Rouge lent forwards,
"You worked with him?"
"Yeah, I did", Nack grimaced as though biting a lemon, the sour memories bubbling back to the surface as he remembered, "you knew our rules about honouring a contract?" Rouge gave a dismissive snort,
"Er, yes that was kinda the first thing I was taught". Nack nodded and smile, one hand fingering something in his pocket, imagining her reaction in a few minutes,
"Right, well I remember this time our backer told us to sort out this woman who'd been making his life difficult. He said pain, but nothing life-threatening. Seraph took the job on, I was told to clean up after him. The target was a wolf in her mid-twenties with a history of martial arts. We were given the address; Seraph slipped in and I came in five minutes later", he pulled the photo from his pocket, "Seraph was long gone, but in five minute he did this to her". He offered the photo. Rouge took one look and struggled to control her stomach.
The photo showed a kitchen environment, but it was what was at the centre that was of interest. The wolf was down and Rouge doubted there was an inch of her that hadn't been pulverised by a relentless, savage assault. She'd been in the wars before, but no, never anything like this; this was just plain brutality. The bat made a conservative estimate of the wolf's injuries but quickly gave up, partially because there wasn't enough information and partially because she really didn't want to know. She handed the photo back, hand shaking and body numb. Nack noticed her look and nodded,
"Yeah, I damn near hurled my guts up when I saw it, but he honoured the contract…"
"You call that a contract, that's, that's indefensible", Rouge was horrified by what the weasel was saying, "I'm surprised she survived at all".
"She did; there was virtually no severe damage, she was out of hospital in a week", Nack fanned himself with his hat, "see, Seraph was a loose cannon, but he honoured a contract to the letter. Pain, but nothing permanent".
"When was this done?"
"About two months before we all split up; we knew something was going wrong with him and the jobs were getting nastier, but we had no idea how serious it was. We'd have split earlier if we had", he assured her, standing up and walking to break the tension, "sorry to show you that, but you had a right to know what we're up against. Seraph doesn't quit and he never failed a mission for the guild; I don't think he's going to start now". Rouge didn't answer immediately, she was still in a haze of shock. Compared to that, her fights with Knuckles had been nothing but playground tussles; if he could do something like that in minutes, Rouge shuddered, not wanting to think about what would happen if they were caught.
"Any ideas?" she whispered, more to break the silence than anything,
"No", Nack admitted, shaking his head, "I've been around, but I'm nothing on this guy. He's a meat-grinder. Have you got anyone that could help?"
That question got Rouge thinking; the others might help her if she asked. They had all teamed up to beat the Metal Overlord so they might help her against this threat. The idea was appealing, but as she looked at the photo a second time, she shook her head,
"Yes, but I'm not getting them involved in this, not unless there's no other way".
"No other", Nack was absolutely floored by this statement, "Rouge, this is not a game; this guy's a stone-cold killer…"
"Exactly", the bat's tone was low and poisonous as she held up the photo, "that's why I'm not getting them involved; could you live with yourself if something like this happened to your friend? I'm a long way from perfect but I'm not completely heartless, Nack". The weasel drew in a deep breath, then let it out slowly, closing his eyes as he let logic sort the problem out,
"Right, I understand, but bear in mind things are probably going to go downhill at a rapid rate of knots, savvy? We may need every friend you've got before this is over".
"I know; that's what scares me".
The sun went down; the time was ripe for the nocturnal predator to act. As always, a selection of tools was made carefully and a last minute review of the target was made. When the preparation was complete, he began moving, quietly picking the simplest route into the sleepy city and sticking to the path with relentless efficiency. To a casual observer there was simply nothing to observe; a rush of air, a quiet set of footsteps and then nothing. It was as though he walked between worlds; alone, isolated and unseen, the trappings of a perfect hunter. In his previous missions, either to gather information, take a target or inflict harm, most of his targets had seen only darkness, felt the blistering of a harsh angel's caress, then when they reacted; darkness there and nothing more. As always, if any emotions were felt by the grim figure, the mask he wore concealed them.
In a desperate attempt to try and prepare themselves the two former guild members were burning the midnight oil to try and understand their implacable foe and his most probably route of attack but were running into brick walls all the way. As Rouge had said, there was not enough information for them to make a decent breakthrough.
"We don't know what he looks like, his methods, his likes, his fears or anything", Rouge sighed in deep frustration, "we don't even know what damned species he is, if he's not a human. Oh what the hell are we doing; I reckon we should just wait for him to show up and pray we get lucky".
"Much as I hate to agree with it, it's the only choice we've got right now" Nack gave a worried smile, "just as well I added some extra features to this, place". The weasel looked questioningly up at the bat as her ears pricked up and her eyes glazed slightly. She snapped back into action as Nack trailed off,
"Yeah, I'm glad about that, real life saver that was" she said in a louder than normal voice, putting her finger to her lip as Nack made to speak. She closed her eyes and Nack saw her ears twitching as he held his breath. Her eyes re-opened and he saw her take a deep breath as she beckoned,
"You know you said things were going downhill?"
"Yeah" the weasel whispered back, not entirely sure where she was going with this,
"It's started", she said simply before pointing, "something big just landed on that window and is looking in".
A risk, but an acceptable one. A second mistake that may have resulted in a broken law could not be allowed. The noise should have been sufficient to alert a bat. A visual identification should become available soon.
Nack's head snapped round so fast he cricked his neck, inwardly thanking the Lord he'd actually drawn the curtain following the morning. Gesturing for Rouge to stay back, the weasel approached the suspect curtain; he couldn't hear anything but as the other species said, in the world of the blind, the bats ruled supreme. He flattened himself against the wall, reaching for the curtain with a single hand; the angle between curtain and wall was too acute to see anything. Gingerly, he gripped the curtain edge.
Now.
Rouge heard a heavy thump against the window and sprang up, her mind full of visions of splintering glass allowing Seraph – who else could it be – to get to her. Simultaneously, Nack jumped back, startled as a second hit rattled the glass. The bat and weasel nearly ran into each other, looked and nodded together; if this was going to happen, two had a better chance than one. There was third hit, followed by a sharp crack and both sprang forwards, yelling and tearing the curtain aside.
An unexpected development. Both remaining targets present. Potential benefits and drawbacks. Evidence sufficient. No advantage in attacking now.
Rouge's blood was up as she bounded forwards, expecting a blood and thunder fight to the finish. She might not have won but this Seraph prick was going to know he'd been in a fight. As the curtain was thrown aside, she obtained her first look at her harasser.
Strangely she was unimpressed; there was a figure, seemingly dressed all in black, crouched on the sill, attempting to peer in. Their bodies blocked out the light and the spider-web of cracks running along the glass made it difficult to make out specifics, but with a push off, he was gone. The would-be attacker simply dropped, falling a storey to the floor. Rouge was initially horrified, envisioning at the least broken legs, but Nack reacted first; wrenching the window open, the weasel ducked his head outside, glanced around before cursing and pulling the window shut. He turned to her,
"Can't see a damned thing, it's too dark. We're moving out, first thing. We gotta get some distance from this bastard". Rouge nodded, adrenaline wearing off and allowing her to think a bit more clearly. Seraph could have shattered that glass with one hit and been in; something didn't add up. The bat sat down, putting the scene in perspective; something had stopped him coming in. The fact there were two of them? Possible, even the best fighters prepared to scrap on even terms. That made sense, except then…oh no! She couldn't have been as dumb as that, of course she had.
"DAMMIT!"
Nack, still jumpy from the narrow escape, leapt to face her, hands clutching his heart. His eyes narrowed in anger at the sudden shout,
"Geez girl, you tryin' ta give a heart attack? You're goin' the right way about it". Rouge looked up, a weary expression that aged her pretty face ten years etched on,
"Nack, wait there and think; if you wanted to get my attention from there, and couldn't talk to me, how would you do it?" The weasel knitted his brows; what the hell kind of question was that? An easy one, that was true,
"Easy, I'd give a signal or a tap and…" he stopped dead as the realisation dawned, then screwed his eyes up, "oh I don't believe it".
"Believe it; we just got played for suckers. Attacking wasn't the plan, he wanted to see us and check we were here". In her mind, the bat was forced to give credit where it was due, that was a smart, efficient move she'd have been proud of. She just couldn't believe she'd fallen for it. Neither, it seemed, could Nack,
"Of all the stupid things I coulda done, argh. We've just blown this wide open; if he didn't know we were together before he does now and he's got visual I.D on us". Which had, of course, been the whole point of the exercise he grudgingly admitted; damn that was a cheap way to do it.
This distance was adequate; there was no sign of a pursuit. The situation had changed, neither for better or worse. It had just become potentially more volatile. The purple weasel triggered a memory. Research was necessary to assess the potential threat of the two targets combined. Also the potential for secondary interference from possible friends and/or family. Return to base and rest; the identification was confirmed and the hunt could progress.
"Well, where are we going now; you know this place better than me". The two didn't discuss splitting up, that would have been playing right into their stalker's hands. Rouge huffed,
"Yeah, but I'm not into the sort of placed you seem to frequent" the bat glanced around the room once more as Nack gritted his teeth.
"Yeah, but it's not like we've a choice". In his mind, the weasel was trying to figure out how Seraph had known to come here. The chances of him finding out by accident were so remote they could be discounted straight away, so it was probably bribery or something else. His attention wavered as Rouge called out to him,
"What you looking for a decent place to hide out?"
"A heavily fortified bunker on a remote island somewhere, preferably with enough grub to survive a nuclear holocaust and enough firepower to start World War three". The weasel snorted in jest, amused despite himself. A shame really, by turning back to his private thoughts, he missed the look on Rouge's face as the solution to their problem slapped her square in the face. Island!
Isolated, secluded, sheltered.
Safe.
But that would mean…she growled as she envisioned herself soon dining on a fat wedge of humble pie; he'd milk this for all it was worth, and having Nack there wouldn't help the cause. Still, Angel Island was the best hope they had at the minute and she'd rather be force-fed a misanthropic echidna's mockery than her own teeth any day. She sighed, putting her head in her hands and preparing her phone for a call.
"Hey babe", she felt rather than saw Nack approach, his tone more gentle now, "I was jus' funnin', no need to get uptight wimme". She looked up and smiled resignedly,
"Don't worry Nack; I'm not upset", she stood and prepared her phone, heading for the bathroom, "in fact, I think I've got the perfect place". The weasel's eyes widened,
"Really, that's great! Hey, where you goin'?" he queried as she vanished into the bathroom.
"Arranging transport" she answered, pressing send and holding her phone to her ear as she slid the door shut. Nack sat down, bemused as the bat remained closeted away for minutes before re-emerging, happy as she snapped the cell closed.
"Yes, got it; we'll be out of here tomorrow". For the first time since the decoy, Nack grinned,
"Awesome; you got friends in high places?"
"Certainly helps", the bat smirked, settling down on the bed, "mine now, right?"
"Yeah right, after your watch". Rouge shot upright, mouth open,
"What, why do I get first watch?"
"I went shopping; wake me at midnight, we leave at six" the weasel growled, suddenly tired as the strain broke through to him. Rouge nodded, standing as he crawled under the sheets,
"Nack?"
Yeah?"
"Just two things; try any funny stuff while I'm under and I'll rip your arm off". The weasel considered this statement, seemingly weighing up the pros and cons before answering,
"Okay, sounds fair".
"And two; don't call me babe!"
"Whatever".
The preparations were set for the escape; all they needed was a little luck and an early start to be free. However, there was just a single, tiny glitch in this otherwise flawless plan. So small, it would have slipped under almost any radar, even ones as careful as the treasure hunters'.
Rouge had forgotten to check her missed calls.
