Of course, the fox was nowhere to be found when the police rolled up. He had just shot, and possibly killed someone his first night on the job, and the one person who could probably help him was long gone. Marcus tried to keep his nerves calm, but it was hard to forget he had just jumped head first into the underbelly of the city. The kid had never fancied himself a punk, but he tended to go where the wind blew him.

This type of thing is bound to happen, right?

However, mistake or not, it didn't fix the problem.

I just sacrificed my life for a Mobian's… my parents are going to laugh themselves into their graves. I didn't owe Fiona anything.

The kid tried to pretend the sudden and sharp tapping sound didn't startle him. Breathing deeply, Marcus rolled down the window with just a subtle amount of annoyance, "yes, officer?"

At the very least he knew to play the part. If he was going to be a wise guy, he needed to act it, and thankfully he could still lie when the moment called for it.

"Oh, sorry, I was expecting someone else?" the man responded as if he had decided to doubt himself at the last moment.

"Let me guess, Harry?"

"Yeah," the copper responded.

"He got let go. I'm his replacement."

"I see... Well seeing as you're here and all, may I ask… uhh… what are you doing here anyway?"

"Grabbing a coffee," Marcus replied before hoisting his cup, "Job start in an hour."

The man scribbled something on a small notebook.

"Any chance you know what happened in there?"

Well this was easier than I expected.

As far as he could tell it was his word against four lowlifes. If there was ever a time to tell a tall tale, it was now.

"Yeah, some guy in a trench coat wondered in there. About two minutes after that everything went to shit."

The officered nodded as he jotted everything down, "Thanks, that will help tremendously. Give the boss my regards."

Marcus leaned out the window trying to read the man's badge, "Simmons?"

"Yes, sir."

"I'll tell him you said hi."

With a smile, the man walked away.

The kid breathed a large, audible sigh of relief as he rolled up the window.

"I guess I know two new things about you," a voice rose up from the back seat, again sending a shiver down his spine. "You're a decent shot and a good liar."

"Stop doing that," he demanded as he stared at her glowing eyes through the rear-view mirror.

"Doing what?"

"You know damn well what," he replied before bringing his lips back to the foam cup and taking a sip.

"Relax," the fox said in a soothing tone, "as long as the guy doesn't die they're not going to look into this too hard. Your word, hell, maybe even mine, is as good as law to a lot of these coppers."

"Another one of the perks?"

Fiona's grin cropped up again, he canines gleaming in the moonlight, "Yeah, one of the few. I told you, they fear us almost as much as they fear him. Coming after us isn't much different than going after him."

"Us?" Marcus raised an eyebrow, trying to understand if the fox had purposefully lumped him in so closely with herself.

"Don't delude yourself. We're nothing special to Ixis, but we are his, and he is rather selfish when it comes to his things. And before you ask, no he doesn't care about all his employees like this, just the ones who don't disappoint him."

"So, enjoy it while I can then?"

"That's what I tell myself."

For the first time in hours Marcus felt the need to laugh. It was nothing she said, it was just the absurdity of everything. Fiona seemed equally amused, and the sly smirk that crept up her ridged jaw suggested that she understood.

Still chuckling, he decided to start the car and pull away from what could only be described as a crime scene. The more distance he put between him and it, the more at ease his nerves felt. His conscience, however, was something else.

Glancing at the fox, Marcus wasn't surprised to find her gaze and attention elsewhere.

He wanted to ask her how he should be feeling, if he should be worried.

Instead, the kid blurted out, "So what's your story."

The vixen's glance shifted his way slowly, "don't confuse me with a customer," she replied, her subtle grin turning to a scowl.

"You're paying for this ride, aren't you?"

Her eyes narrowed until they resembled the points of daggers, not so different from the canines that hung over her lips.

"What difference does my story make? You're some well off country boy that found his way into the city. My story is nothing of consequence compared to the kid who gave up a life where he had everything in favor of a playing a very real version of cops and robbers."

"Hey!" he stammered. "I didn't choose this, it chose me."

Fate had put in him the alley at just the right moment. However, that still didn't explain how she seemed to know so much about him.

She's far too perceptive to be trusted.

"Funny how that works," the vixen grinned, "isn't it?"

"What?"

"Our complete lack of choices in this world."

"I wake up every day and make choices," he retorted.

"So then why are you driving a Mobian around at five in the morning?"

For that, he didn't have an answer. To the casual passerby this was a mildly humorous joke, or it would have been had the windows not been tinted to such a degree.

"Well," he hesitated, "what about you?"

"What about me?" the Vixen snorted.

"Why be here, why not run away and join the resistance?"

"You think that's the only option for someone like me? I'm a Mobian who knows her way around hurting people, so I should be part of the resistance?"

"Seems like the most logical choice to me."

"I just got done telling you there aren't choices and you're going to sit here and tell me I've made the wrong one."

Marcus mulled it over for a moment before nodding his head, "Yup, but then again the Resistance already has one famous fox, so I guess there might not be room for another."

Fiona laughed, "is that all I am to you?"

His face wasn't hiding his confusion, "What?"

"A fox," she spat. "That's all you see, some huli jing."

Wait did I offend her. She is a fox isn't she?

"A huli-what?"

There was a streak of red as vixen leapt from the back to the seat next to him. Her eyes were locked onto him, her gaze more intrigued than menacing.

"Maybe I misjudged you," she continued without averting her eyes.

I'm missing something. What did I say?

"I don't understand."

"We've established that."

"Did I offend you?" the kid asked, trepidation laced throughout his voice.

"Pull over here," the fox asked quietly.

It was still plenty early enough to find street parking.

"Look over there," Fiona motioned across the street. "What do you see?"

Is this some kind of test?

"Some guy out for a morning walk."

"Alright, and what about next to you, what do you see?"

Marcus half expected her to be gone when he turned his head but was equally surprised to find the vulpine's eyes once again uncomfortably close to his.

After hesitating for a moment, "a f…" but he caught himself.

She wanted to be seen as more than what she appeared to be. To be afforded the same general anonymity as the guy on the street, to blend in and be just some stranger with no adjectives attached. Fiona wanted to transcend the ruby fur that condemned her to a lower status in life.

The kid smiled, "a friend."

Without taking her eye off of him, the fox reached for the handle, "not bad."

He took that as a sign that he had passed.

Before she climbed out of the car, he called after her, "Fiona."

She did little more than unfold an ear just enough to listen.

"As crazy as this night was, I think I might have had fun."

He could see a devilish smile creep its way up her muzzle. But all it took was a blink and the fox was gone.

Way to leave me hanging…

The kid had been hoping for some type of acknowledgement, but the vixen was resigned to being mysterious.

There's always next time I suppose, he laughed at himself.