Chapter 12: Art of Deception
September 3rd, 2316 – 12:00 AM – Nedlo, Tneicna
Nail briskly walked down the street, as the armor plates on his soldier uniform rattled against each other. The sound was so loud it was like listening to a bunch of aluminum cans rattle as they hit the floor. It seemed even louder, considering almost everyone else in the city had gone to bed by now. Nail paid no attention to that though. He was about to see his sister again, who he hadn't seen in more than a decade.
While he was also supposed to be capturing Tails and Knuckles, he personally didn't care that much about doing the job. Nail had mostly used that as an excuse so he could go back into Nedlo again. Thus, he hadn't come all that well prepared for a capture. His disguise, his tranquilizer gun, and his radio completely made up his equipment.
Unfortunately, with how dark this place got once the sun went down, finding the Brenbar Inn again would be tricky. Nail wished he could have brought along a flashlight, but then the locals would see through his disguise quickly and he'd be in a lot of trouble. That wasn't much of a big deal to him though, considering his genes.
God bless you for being a wolf, Dad.
Nail could see farther in the dark than an average Freedomian, considering the wolf eyes he had, although he wouldn't exactly want to do a crossword puzzle in the dark using only them. Nail only saw just enough to get a vague idea of what was nearby, and what obstacles were in his way, but that was about it. Words on signs blurred together in the dark, and he couldn't distinguish colors that well. It was frustrating...
"Hey!"
Reflexively, Nail whirled around to face the source of the voice as he pulled out his tranquilizer gun. A mole was standing in the second floor window of a nearby house, with a candle in his hand. By the light of the candle, Nail could see he was dressed for sleep, and he appeared to have just rolled out of bed.
"Stop running!" he shouted. "You're making a big racket with that armor of yours!"
Nail wondered for a second why the mole hadn't reacted to him pulling out a gun, and then he forgot that he was standing in the dark street. The mole couldn't see the weapon from where he was. Nail let out a sigh as he hid the tranq gun again under his clothes. Ignoring the mole's command, he took off sprinting down the street once more.
"I told ya to stop running!" the mole howled. "Are you deaf, you idiot?"
The mole continued to shout on and on. If he kept that up, pretty soon he'd be making more noise than Nail was. The fox gave a brief smirk at the mole's hypocrisy, but quickly pushed it aside. There were more pressing matters at hand.
Nail paused in the middle of the next street intersection, trying to remember which way he had to go to get back to the hotel from here.
Hmm...I'm not sure where I am. This area doesn't look familiar, but that might only be because it's dark. Was I supposed to turn left at this street? Or was the next one? Dammit! If only it were during the day, this job would be so much easier.
Nail eventually decided to keep heading down the road he was already on. As he ran, he remembered that he was supposed to turn at the next intersection, and did so when he got there. After another run down this road, he saw the hotel in the distance. It was quite easy to spot, considering most of the lights were switched on. It was like a glittering oasis in the dark of the city.
Unfortunately, those lights were for the massive amount of guards standing around outside. There had to be at least twenty of them at the front of the building, and several more keeping a lookout on the roof. Not to mention, Nail was willing to bet they'd be on the lookout for a soldier in disguise this time. They really weren't taking any chances on someone breaking inside the hotel again, which meant that going inside to see Carrie was a definite no no.
Letting out a sigh, Nail turned around and started to head back the way he'd come. While Nail was an infiltration expert, it seemed too big of a gamble to try to get in there right now. He'd have to try to sneak in later, after things had cooled down. Each step away from the hotel was a terrible admittance of defeat to the fox, and it took him a lot of effort to ignore common sense and try to get into the hotel despite the security.
As he turned around at a corner pottery store, he saw a sight that made his heart skip a beat. Knuckles was walking down the street towards him, with a lit torch in his hand. It was easy to recognize his face because of the flame's light. This was too good to be true! It looked like he'd be able to at least snag Knuckles tonight for a bounty of five million demens.
After confirming that Knuckles hadn't spotted him yet, Nail ducked back behind the corner he'd just walked around. He pulled the tranquilizer gun out from under his armor, and held it up in a ready to fire position as he leaned against the pottery store's wall. Slowly but surely, the echidna's footsteps increased in volume. Meanwhile, Nail tensed himself, and prepared to jump out and fire. He was confident this would work. After all, it had worked before on Sonic...
"We stayed with one of the maids. She's a friend of ours. Her name is Carrie Strafer."
Sonic had said that before... Him, Tails, and Knuckles were all staying with her. Maybe Knuckles could give him some more information? This would be risky though. What if the echidna got suspicious about him asking about her?
Then Nail grinned. He'd read up profiles on Sonic and his two friends, and just remembered one important detail. Out of the three of them, Knuckles was the most gullible and easiest to trick. He'd probably take any excuse Nail gave him for asking about her.
The fox hid the tranquilizer gun underneath his armor again. Taking a deep breath, he stepped around the corner to confront the echidna. However, he realized he'd jumped out a bit too suddenly, as Knuckles gasped and went into a fighting stance. Nail jumped back a bit, believing the echidna had already seen through his disguise. The fox's heart started racing. But then, Knuckles got a good look at his uniform, and relaxed his posture.
"Sorry about that," Knuckles apologized. "I thought you were one of those bounty hunters."
A twinge of fear pulsed across Nail's body, but he did manage to keep his facial expression neutral.
"Yeah..." the fox said. "Hard to tell who's who in the dark, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I know. So...got something to tell me?"
Nail blinked. "Eh?"
"Well... I don't think you'd talk to me unless you had some new information."
Blinking again, the fox realized he'd forgotten he was in disguise. Slipping back into his role again, Nail started to speak.
"Sorry. I've been having to do overtime with this whole Nack business. I was wondering...that Carrie girl you're staying with. How's she handling this whole situation, since her home got attacked?"
"She seems to be dealing with it okay, but last I saw her she was still a little woozy from the sleeping gas Nack used when he first tried to capture us."
Nail recalled Nack had tried to capture Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles at the stadium by using sleeping gas, but the only one who got caught in it was Carrie. Redrum had been watching the event from afar with binoculars.
"Oh right, that thing," he said, trying not to sound too interested in the conversation.
"Why do you wanna know, anyway?" Knuckles asked, folding his arms.
"Well...it's my job as a soldier to protect the citizens of this fine town," Nail said, stomping his foot a bit for emphasis. He shifted his tone of voice to sound accusing. "If I weren't thinking about her too, I wouldn't be doing my job. You don't want me to get fired, do ya?"
"Fair enough." Knuckles said, grinning a little. "Well, anything else?"
Nail paused a little. Should he pry further? What if Knuckles noticed he was showing a bit of an unhealthy interest in her? Suddenly, an idea struck him.
"I've always wondered why you've been hanging out with Carrie," Nail asked, sounding skeptical, as if he couldn't believe the three saviors of Planet Freedom would be friends with a mere commoner. "What did she ever do for you?"
"Well she did give us a place to stay in that hotel after all," Knuckles said, rolling his eyes. "Getting a room here at this time of year is total hell, and I'd be an idiot to not call anyone who did that for me a friend."
"Yeah? Well how'd you meet her? I mean, you, Sonic, and Tails are like the heroes of Planet Freedom, so I think you'd be around someone more important, like the President maybe."
"It's a bit of a long story, but to make it short about two years ago we saved her from a pair of gunmen who wanted to kill her for some reason. We still don't know why. All we got is that their leader's name is Blackie Sten, and that she's been chased by him for years."
Gunmen...? They couldn't be...no. Why would they still be after us, eleven years later? Are they really the same gunmen that attacked our house in Gerrant, killed Mom and Dad, and forced me to abandon my sisters? Then again, it doesn't make much sense for them to still be after us. I mean, what's so special about Carrie, Ayecaye, and me? It should be just coincidence. But I do have a funny feeling...
"Hey...you awake?" Knuckles said, waving a hand in front of Nail's face.
The fox realized he'd totally zoned out while he was digesting what Knuckles was telling him.
"Oh!" Nail said, smiling nervously. "Sorry about that. Like I said, I'm feeling tired right now..."
"I don't blame you."
"So that's how you became friends? You saved her life from those two gunmen?"
"Yep..." Knuckles said with a smile. "We've been friends ever since. Sometimes me, Sonic and Tails, or all three of us drop by to visit her."
A broad smile crossed Nail's face.
"Well thank y—" Nail suddenly paused in mid sentence, realizing he was starting to let his true identity show. He'd nearly said 'Thank you for protecting my sister.' Nail regained his composure quickly, and spoke again. "Thank you for telling me that."
Knuckles arced an eyebrow and eyed Nail closely. "Er...you're welcome. You're an odd one, aren't you? I mean, I don't see why you'd need to say thanks for me doing something like that."
Nail chuckled to cover his nervousness, as he realized that his disguise was cracking. Perhaps Knuckles wasn't as stupid as he thought he'd be. Nail felt the fur stand up on his back when he saw the echidna was starting to look him up and down with a suspicious glare. He could also feel his half tail fluffing out, and moved to stand so that it wasn't in view of Knuckles.
Trying to keep up appearances, he said, "What's it to ya? Maybe I'm just a guy who really cares about other people."
"Oh really?" Knuckles said, glaring at him as he walked around Nail. The fox felt like he was being X-rayed by the echidna's eyes. "Can you tell me your commander's name then? After all, if you cared about him I'd sure you'd take the time to remember it."
Oh shit. This is not going to end well...
Speaking slowly, Nail said, "His name is Captain...Norshalf..."
A fist collided with the helmet on Nail's head. The blow was so severe that it actually dented the metal of the helmet and hit him on the skull. Nail grunted as he collapsed to the ground. Knuckles planted a foot on the fox's back so that he couldn't crawl away. That punch had done quite a number on the Nail's head. His vision blurred, and he also felt a headache coming on.
"Wrong answer, you faker," Knuckles breathed out. "Now where's Sonic? It's no use trying to play dumb, because we know there was someone in disguise as a guard lurking around the hotel at the time Sonic disappeared. It's gotta be you."
"I've got no idea what you're talking about," Nail breathed out, as he pressed his hands against the ground.
The fox started trying to push himself, using the ground as leverage, but Knuckles pressed down harder with his foot, sending him into the cobbled street again. Nail groaned in pain as his forehead hit the solid stone street.
"You're not going anywhere until I get some answers!" Knuckles growled. "Now tell me... Where is Sonic? Not to mention, why did you come back here? You were in a real hurry to get out of the city in that truck of yours!"
Dammit...looks like Redrum was right. They knew about me being in disguise, and about our little chase with Nack and that purple vixen. It's okay though... If I can just reach under my armor...
Nail tried to reach under his armor for his gun, but Knuckles stomped down on his arm to prevent it from moving.
"You seem to be hard of hearing," Knuckles breathed, his mouth inches away from Nail's ears. "Maybe this will help a bit."
He yanked Nail's helmet off and tossed it aside. It clattered noisily across the cobblestones, finally coming to a rest against a curb. Nail's gray fur and fox ears were now fully exposed, and swayed slightly in the breeze blowing down the street. A moment later, a fist slammed into the back of Nail's head, sending his chin bouncing off of the ground before it came to rest once more. The fox cried out in pain.
"Tell me what I want to know!" Knuckles shouted, "Or I'll keep doing that over and over until you pass out! Then the city guards will beat it out of you instead! I won't let you take Sonic away from us!"
"Knuckles!" someone screamed. This voice sounded quite young, like one of a boy.
Out of the corner of his eye, Nail saw Knuckles turn back to look at who had shouted.
"What is it Tails?" Knuckles grumbled. "And where's Carrie?"
"I took her back to the room so she could sleep," Tails answered. "But why are you beating up that guard? What did he do to you?"
"This is the bastard who kidnapped Sonic!" Knuckles howled. "I'm trying to beat it out of him where he took him! Wouldn't you like to know that, since he's practically your brother?"
Nail heard Tails gasp a bit.
"Really?" he asked.
"Yes, really. Now go and get some other guards, so we can haul this guy off to prison. I'll keep pounding him for info."
Nail closed his eyes, and tensed himself for the next blow. He knew he was screwed. Knuckles had him down on the ground, and Tails was here too. Even if he somehow managed to worm himself out from under Knuckles' feet, he'd still have to deal with Tails. And then if he got past that, there would be legions of guards to deal with as he left the city.
It was all over...
Wait...I've got an idea. It probably won't work, but oh well... It's worth a try.
"I…I'm…" Nail stuttered, trying to talk through the pain.
"What is it?" Knuckles grumbled. "Spit it out!"
"I'm Carrie's brother," Nail finally finished. "That's why I was so interested in her."
There was a moment of silence. Knuckles spoke first.
"…Huh?" the echidna mumbled.
"I'm Carrie's brother, Augustine Strafer," Nail repeated. He noticed that Knuckles was relaxing the pressure of the foot on his back.
"You're lying!" Knuckles howled, increasing the pressure again. Nail closed his eyes, to protect himself from the spit that was flying from Knuckles' mouth. "You're just saying that so I'll let you go! It's not happening, pal."
"Please, I'm telling you the truth," Nail breathed out. "It sounds crazy, but if you just give me a chance to prove—"
"Enough with your lies!" Knuckles shouted. "Now quit stalling and tell us where you have Sonic! Otherwise you get another one of my fists in the back of your head!"
Looks like it was a dumb idea after all…
Nail sighed a bit.
"Here comes the next one!" the echidna shouted.
The fox closed his eyes hard, as he waited for the next dose of pain. And he waited some more, and more. The punch never came. Risking a glance, he slightly turned his head so he could look up to one side. Tails was standing above Nail with Knuckles. The younger fox had his arms wrapped around Knuckles' punching arm, to keep him from delivering the next blow.
"Tails! What are you doing?" Knuckles said. "You wanna find out where Sonic is, don't you?"
"Yes, I do Knuckles," Tails answered. "But I also want to find out if what this guy says is the truth. We could take him to Carrie. If he were lying, she'd know it. Remember that she can tell when someone's about to commit a crime. She'd be able to tell if he was planning something. Come on...it won't take long."
Knuckles stared down at Nail's face with a hardened expression for a few moments. Suddenly, he let out a 'hmph' and took his foot off of the older fox's back.
"Fine, suit yourself!" Knuckles said. "Don't blame me if this all turns out to be a trick though."
Nail simultaneously felt relieved and terrified. On one hand, they were taking him to see Carrie, and he was very much looking forward to that. On the other hand, Nail remembered that when they were kids, Carrie had some kind of weird ability that let her tell when somebody was plotting something behind another's back. She'd tattle-tailed on Nail a lot before he could pull some kind of prank, and it was as annoying as hell.
It looks like she still had that power, going by what these guys were saying. The only way he'd be able to keep her from exposing him would be to clear his head completely of his job and the mission, and that wasn't gonna be easy. After all, how on earth could anyone keep from thinking about the prospect of making ten million demens?