"Good morning, sir," Marcus said with a pleasant smile.

Even if he hadn't slept much, being tired was so much easier than being hungover.

"Awfully chipper this morning, aren't we?" the man asked as he slid himself into the back of the car.

The brisk morning air was like a splash of cold water on his face, and despite working for one of the world's foremost criminals, he was alive and well.

"Just trying to stay positive, sir," Marcus replied as he found his spot in the driver seat.

"Ha, I'll bet you are."

That's an odd reply coming from him. What does he know? Could he know about my visit to the Den of Shadows already?

"Sir?" he asked before angling the car out into the morning traffic.

"Out late last night?"

As much fun as he had running around with the mischievous fox. It was hard to call anything they did concerning or even illegal. Mostly harmless pranks on unsuspecting drunks or other unsavory types. He couldn't help but scratch the back of his head, "Maybe, yeah."

"You and our fox up to no good, I'm sure."

How can he know that, the kid couldn't help but stare at Ixis through the mirror.

"Keep your eyes on the road," the man replied as began to read the day's paper. "And don't act so surprised. I run half this city, be thankful I let you two use it as your own personal playground."

"Of course, sir. And thank you."

"Marcus," Naugus said cautiously from behind his paper, "please don't mistake my words for a metaphor. Are you screw'n the pooch?"

It was understandable how others might begin to think that. Seeing a human and Mobian getting along as well as he and Fiona did was unusual. While they were coworkers, it hardly explained why they would go out of their way to spend so much time with one another. Naturally Ixis suspected there was more to it.

"She's a fox, sir," Marcus couldn't help himself. He always used humor as a shield, even when the time most certainly did not call for it.

Naugus lowered his paper enough to reveal a smile that was the thing of nightmares. It hit Marcus harder than any sucker punch he'd taken.

"Sorry," the kid tensed up. "I like to deflect with humor. It's nothing like that, I promise. I've found myself in a city I don't know, in a world I hardly understand, and she's the only one who seems to find time for me."

Ixis nodded, "And I'm assuming you have no plans to?"

"you mean… screw the… fox?" Marcus asked as he sped up. I need this car ride to be over now.

The crime lord nodded towards the mirror.

"No, I don't think we're each other's type anyway."

Let alone species. Even if Marcus did find her human-like qualities attractive, there will still things like her tail and fangs that were hard to overlook.

"Good, I don't need her any more distracted than she already is. The same goes for you."

"Sorry, sir."

"Relax, Marcus. You're young, have some fun, get into trouble, I don't care, I'm not your father."

It's starting to sound like you are.

"Just do it on your own time," the greying man added. "I don't need it impacting my work. You understand?"

"Of course."

"Good, then maybe you can do me a favor?"

Like I have a choice. It had only taken him two days to realize there was no such thing as a favor in Ixis' world. This was a request, plain and simple.

"Anything," the kid replied eagerly, hoping to help diffuse an awkward situation.

"Keep tabs on our furry friend. She's up to something, I can sense it. I don't need her sniffing around getting her snout caught in anything she can't handle."

Marcus shifted in his seat, uneasy about what he felt the need to say. In some ways it was a betrayal, but in others he knew it needed to be done, if not for Fiona's good, then perhaps his own.

He's going to find out sooner or later, right? May as well get in front of it now. Maybe he won't be as mad?

"I think I know what she's looking for, sir."

"Oh?" Ixis asked with a raised eyebrow, lowering the morning's paper. "You've suddenly gained some insight into our little fox have you? So much for needing my help then. Let's have it shall we?"

Reaching into his pocket, Marcus produced the scrap of paper the racoon had given him and handed it off to the man sitting behind him.

"What's this supposed to mean," the man asked as he scanned the note.

"Was kind of hoping you knew," he replied unsure of how to tell his boss where he had procured it.

"Why do you think it has anything to do with Fiona?"

Don't tell him, don't tell him, don't tell him.

"Because they told me it did," Marcus confessed.

Naugus folded his paper firmly back into his lap, "who is they?"

Inhaling deeply, bracing himself for what was to come, he replied, "Johnny and uhh well Johnny."

"I see. And did they tell you what this address belongs to?"

"They didn't tell me so much as implied it belonged to her parent's killer."

"The ballocks on you, kid. I won't even ask how you found the place."

Good, but your probably already know. How else would a kid like him have found that type of place. It wasn't something you stumbled on. It was something you were either shown or invited to.

"Sir, I'm sorry, I had no idea what was down there."

If he had apologized any harder it would have sounded like he was begging for his life, which I'll happily do if it comes to that.

"Does she know?"

"No," Marcus assured him. "No, I… I couldn't tell her. I think the Johnnies are up to something. They acted like they wanted her to know."

"You did the right thing," Ixis said in a surprisingly calm voice. "I can only assume they told you that I've been hiding him for years as well."

This is going better than expected...

"Do you mind if I ask why?"

"Because that fox is a lot more useful to me alive. She was young and reckless when I took her in. As good as she was and is, Mobian's don't usually get away with cold blooded murder in this city. That's tough enough for me as it is."

There was knot forming at the back of his throat, something that he couldn't swallow. The not-so-subtle reminder that the man he worked for was not one of the good guys made it all the harder to breath.

Marcus nodded, "I didn't want to see her rage consume her, she has enough demons as it is."

"She's got a soft side, just like you... but don't tell her I said that. It's a shame your not each others type," the man nearly laughed, "you two are perfect for each other."

The kid hated that he sometimes felt the same way.

"Does Fiona know you went down there?"

He was forced to nod again, "but she wouldn't follow me. I lied and told her there was nothing down there."

"Good lad," Ixis said as he leaned back into his chair. "Excellent even."

"So... you're not mad?"

"Surprisingly, no. You might have even done me a favor. I have an opportunity to get ahead of their plans now. It's rare for the Johnnies to try and step on my toes. Rarer still for them to try and turn my own people against me."

"I… uhh, you're welcome?"

"I wouldn't go patting yourself on the back just yet."

"Don't worry, I won't ever go back there again," Marcus promised him.

"I could care less if you want to go back there and have a tea party with those two weasels, Fiona is the one who can't go down there, and now you know why. At least you had enough common sense to realize they what they were up to. Most of the morons I hire don't have the luxury of enough brain cells to put things like that together."

Ixis seemed worked up, but if Marcus had to guess, it was related to something else. He wasn't the type of person to let a non-problem consume him.

"Look, Marcus," Naugus relaxed his tone, "I think it's safe to say we both have her best interest at heart. I know you two are close. Are you sure that can keep this from her?"

You have your own interest at heart… not hers.

He nodded anyway.

"Good. It probably won't be the last time the Johnnies try to intervene."

"What about their rules?"

"Don't let them fool you. They'll bend them however they see fit. The same goes for Fiona. She'll wriggle through any limitation I put in front of her. You'll let me know if you think she picks up this guy's trail again?"

"I'll try, she's not exactly forthcoming with details about her personal life."

"You're friends now, use it your advantage."

You mean exploit her? She's the only friend I have and you want me to take advantage of that?

"If something comes up, I'll let you know. I don't want her getting in over her head either."

Suddenly Marcus saw how easy it was to become someone else in Naugus' presence. Never mind that the situation necessitated it.

"That's my boy. Now go ahead and park around back again. I want you to come in with me."

Oh no… this is new.

Marcus swung the Towncar into the alley behind the hotel and pulled up to Ixis' personal space. He was prompt in letting the crime boss out, hoping that every little thing he did right would help undo whatever might be coming his way.

"What is it, sir?" he asked as he shut the car door behind the two of them.

"Now, now, you'll need to wait until we get to my office," the man said as they made their way into the back of the hotel.

That doesn't sound bad, right? But the Naugus was temperamental to say the least. Looks were deceiving with him. As it was elevator rides had a habit of taking longer than he thought the should. An elevator ride where he was trapped with a crime lord who had unknown motivations took every second of the lifetime that flashed before his eyes.

For once I think I would have preferred to take the stairs.

"Kitty," the man tipped his hat as he exited.

"Good morning boss," a girl at least five ten years older than him replied with gleaming smile. "Did you finally bring the new kid up for us to meet?"

"Take a good look, he won't be around long."

Wait what!?

The girl giggled as she stretched out a hand for him to shake, "Let me know if there's anything I can get you."

"Not now Kitty, we need to focus, he's got a lot of work to do."

Oh... that's good, I think.

"Nice meeting you," he replied as he caught up to Naugus.

"Good you're here already," Ixis began as he opened the door to his office. "Marcus have a seat."

To his surprise, Fiona was lounging about on one of the couches. Marcus opted for one of the others. Ixis didn't need any more ammunition for his morning interrogations.

"Since you two are so insistent on running amuck and getting into trouble while you're off the clock, I figure you can do it while you're on the clock as well."

Fiona shot him a glance that could have broken glass. All Marcus could do was throw his hands in the air and mouth the words, "I didn't say anything."

Naugus continued his stride over to his perch that overlooked the city, pausing when he reached the window sill, "Fiona, I've never seen you open to working with someone else."

"Who said I was."

"At least two different business associate last night reached out to me confused about who my fox was working with now. Imagine my surprise when they described my driver. I was relieved to know that you hadn't sought employment elsewhere, but this little partnership of yours opens up some new doors for both of you."

"Wait I thought you said you didn't want us..." Marcus stopped when he realized that both Ixis and Fiona had turned to see how he was going to finish that sentence.

"If the two of you are up to it," Naugus decided to continue to save him from further embarrassment. "I have an assignment for you. Marcus, you can consider this overtime. Fiona, I'll throw in a bonus since you've finally learned to play nice with others. What do you say?"

Marcus couldn't help but exchange an uneasy glance with the vulpine. This was her world, not his. All he was supposed to do was drive.

"Is he going to hold me back?" the fox asked.

"That's up to him."

"I can handle myself," Marcus replied confidently.

"I have reason to believe our friend from the other night was part of a four-man team. While he wasn't forthcoming with details at the onset, we had an honest conversation before the night was over. However, I would still like to know more about their operation. Do you think you can find someone else for me to chat with?"

"Wait, won't that be two versus three?" Marcus asked.

"Be creative," Ixis smiled as pushed a photo across his desk. "Recognize these?"

"Yeah, those are the two cars chasing us from the other night."

"Exactly, flashy and easy to follow. They've been hanging around outside their favorite bar a lot more recently. I suspect commiserate over their missing comrade. Bring me more information or bring me someone who can."

"No problem, boss," the fox replied as she hopped to her feet.

No problem?! No problem!?

"Good. Questions?" the crime lord asked.

So, so many.

"No we're good," Fiona replied on his behalf as she pulled him to his feet. "Be back in a couple of hours."

A couple of hours? Who the hell do you think you are? Batman?

Although he had seen her work before. Even four people had not been a challenge. The problem was, it didn't take a genius to realize that if the man in freezer had been military then in stood to reason that his three friends were as well. Four goons was one thing. Three highly trained individuals was another.

"Can we slow down?" he called after the fox.

"No, I don't want to miss them."

This time the elevator ride ended in the underground parking garage reserved for guests and employees.

"What's down here?" Marcus asked as they strode through the dimly lit structure.

"There's no way we're taking Ixis' car. We'll stick out like a sore thumb."

There was only one car in the direction they were headed, and it most definitely was not a looker. It was a half-rusted bucket of bolts. The hatchback would not likely be outrunning anyone, but it would certainly blend into the city. No one was going to look at them twice in this car.

"Is it as nice on the inside as it is on the outside?"

"Nicer," the fox assured him as she wrenched open the passenger door. "Hope you can drive stick."

"My grandfather taught me when I was ten," he replied as he slid into the driver seat.

He sunk in well past the point he would have liked. A deteriorating sponge would have been an improvement.

"Aren't you lucky," she replied snidely.

Right... she doesn't have any family.

"Key?" he asked, doing his best to change the subject.

The fox did little more than lean over and tilt his visor down, allowing the keys to slide into his lap.

"I'm curious," Fiona began coyly, "If you didn't catch yourself, what were you gonna say back to Naugus? I thought you said you didn't want us... what?"

Marcus fiddled with the rear-view mirror hoping the fox would just move on, but he knew better than that now. Fiona would press him until she had her answer.

"What did Ixis say he didn't want us doing, Marcus?"

How come I can't lie to anyone anymore? Aske himself as he started the car. What is it about these people?

The kid sighed, "On the way to office this morning, Ixis asked me if I was screw'n the pooch."

"I'm a fox!" Fiona yelled in mock outrage, doing her best to hold back laughter.

"I know, that's what I told him," the kid replied through an uneasy chuckle.

"Just to be clear," the fox got eerily serious, "not even in your dreams."

Marcus leaned his foot into the clutch and found reverse. He didn't exactly appreciate people making assumptions on his behalf.

"Yeah? Well maybe the feeling is mutual."

"Is it?" the vixen's gaze narrowed, her voice growing more skeptical.

Marcus gulped, "what?"

Maybe this little mission was a mistake. Normally he was trapped with Fiona on something that resembled his own terms. Now, it was his job. There was no escaping her even if he wanted to.

"The feeling, is it mutual?" Fiona asked as she reached across the center console and stroked his cheek with the outside of her paw.

She's messing with me, right? The fur against his cheek was making it hard to concentrate on driving, never mind the fact that it was begging him to sneeze.

"So, who exactly is flirting with who now?" he couldn't help but ask as he found his way out on the boulevard.

"You're no fun," the fox crossed her arm as she retreated to her side of the car.

"I get that a lot."

"Not as easy to make you squirm anymore," the fox sounded disappointed that her ruse hadn't panned out further.

"Guess you'll have to try harder next time."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Fiona wagged her tail mockingly.

I've never been more confused in my life. It was hard to tell how the fox felt about him. Half the time it felt as if there were something genuine, but the rest of the time he was certain that she was doing her best to embarrass him.

"No, what I would like is for you to tell me what we're about to do, because I'm clueless."

"Tell me something I don't know."

It never ends with her...

He didn't mind the constant banter. In fact, if it didn't feel as if his life were on the line, he would probably enjoy it more. However, since he had accidentally jumped head first into the criminal underworld, Marcus felt a constant need to be cautious about what lurked at the bottom of any future cliffs he might wander off.

"Fiona, you make this sound an awful lot like a game. Maybe you're that confident in yourself, but I'm not. You're the one who told me mistakes out here were life or death."

The fox nodded, "sorry, you're right."

Did she just apologize? He couldn't ever remember her doing that before.

"Do you know who these guys are?"

That seemed like the easiest place to start. Then again, he got the feeling that she had already concocted an entire plan and he was just along for the ride.

"If they're like the other guy, they're some kind of shadowy military group. Probably operating on Kintobor's orders.

"So Ixis is sending his personal driver and a fox to deal with three trained military operatives?"

"Don't underestimate us," the vixen scolded him. "If you think it's a stupid idea, so will they, which is why they'll never see it coming."

"What coming?"

"For starters, you. They've never seen you. Kintobor probably doesn't have intel on you yet, so neither will they. We're going to use that to our advantage."

Marcus could feel the knot forming in his throat again. It sounded an awful lot like he was going to be front and center in Fiona's plan.

"Plus," she continued, "you're not a Mobian, so you can walk into any building in the city and no one will think the wiser."

"So you want me to walk into this bar they're at and strike up a conversation with them?"

"If you want," Fiona shrugged. "What your after is their keys. We need to steal one of those two cars."

"What? Are you kidding me?"

"We can't exactly go in there and start a fight. This place is basically across the street from Kintobor's office. It would be crawling with coppers in just minutes."

"So we steal one of their cars? They've probably got tracker tags on them anyway."

"That's what I'm counting on. Three big boys like that think some little pissant steals their car. They'll take care of it personally."

Now he could see it coming together. It wasn't a half-bad plan all things considered. They could lure the three operatives away under the pretenses some kid off the street had just boosted one of their rides. Guys like that would never call for backup. It would be too embarrassing to admit some teenager had just got the better of them. They would follow him to wherever he led them to, and then they could strike without fear of anyone else joining in. It was a good plan, it played to both of their strengths. It even had the added bonus of him being in control most of the time.

"So we bring their ride some place nice and quiet?"

"Bingo. Our game, our rules."

"Okay, I think we can do this."

"Just promise me you're as good of a driver as Ixis seems to think you are. The first thing they're going to do when you start that engine is chase us. If you can't lose them, this is going to get messy."

"Lost them once before, and I wasn't driving a Taudi," Marcus felt the need to applaud himself as he pulled up to an empty parking spot opposite the bar.

The place didn't even look open, not that he expected anyone to be drinking this early.

"Now what?" he asked his furred companion.

"Now, we wait."

And suddenly he remembered the less glamorous part of work like this. It was a lot of hurry up and sit in a car all day. There was no doubt in his mind that there would be some memorable action before the sun set that evening, but until they could locate their targets, there was nothing to do fiddle with the radio.

"Check it out," Fiona nodded her head at a set of approaching headlights.

"Eight o' clock ," Marcus began to stretch out his limbs, "they certainly don't punch a clock."

"And neither do we," she reminded him.

"Right," he said as he made a move to leave.

But before he could open the door, he felt a paw on his shoulder, "you can't go in looking like that."

"What do you mean?"

"Loose the jacket," the fox replied as she tugged at his tie until it came undone. Next came his hair. Fiona bunched his hair into disoriented tufts that she saw fit to hold there with a little bit of spit.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just do that," he exhaled deeply.

"There, now you look the type."

"I look like a homeless man found a suit."

"Exactly."

This time she let him leave.

"I'll be waiting outside," she called after him. "Don't rush it, but we don't have all night either."

Am I really about to do this?

A bit of grand theft auto was his thing back home. He knew how to play the game, knew virtually every trick in the book when it came to stealing cars. However, not once would he ever consider stealing something from the likes of the three men sitting at the bar.

Even the shortest of them looked like he was made of pure muscle. Never mind that the largest of them would probably give Ixis personal ogre, Igor, a run for his money. Marcus stood zero chance of not seeing the inside a hospital room if he pissed these guys off.

Strolling past their bar stools, he kept his eyes peeled for his target. As luck would have it there was an empty seat conveniently located next to the behemoth. He sat down without a word a motioned for the bar tender.

"You serious, kid?" the man to his left laughed as he flashed a badge in his direction, "get lost."

"Not a kid, but I guess that's what the assholes that hire me must think. Nothing but unpaid internships and data entry analyst positions for me."

Lying to this stranger was considerably easier than it was to Fiona or Ixis. Those two had developed the ability to peer into his soul. But these glorified coppers on the other hand had already managed to find a way to get two beers deep in the time it took him to cross the street.

"The hell is unpaid internship?"

"Exactly like what it sounds," he huffed before more aggressively signaling the bartender. "I do work, and my reward is the enlightenment I get from being dumb enough to take a job where they don't pay me."

"Sounds like you're in the wrong line of work," the man commented.

"Oh yeah? What would you recommend?"

"You look like you can handle yourself. You should consider enlisting. Pays better than you think, certainly better than free," the man laughed as he waved the bartender over on Marcus behalf.

"Something cold," Marcus nearly begged the man, before turning back to his newest friend. "Since when does a government job pay well?"

"See those," the man bragged as he motioned to the cars out front, "try affording one on an analyst's salary. We're good at what we do and get paid accordingly."

"Nice," Marcus remarked in awe. "And what do you guys do?"

"If we told you that kid, we'd have to kill you," the man chuckled.

"Ah so top secret and what not? Cool, cool," he said nonchalantly as he eyed the man's keys.

Just like virtually every patron, he preferred to keep his keys on the bar top rather than endure the discomfort of storing them in his pocket. Now it was just a question of getting him to look the other way. That would be easier said than done considering that he was nearly as focused on his beer as he was breathing.

The bartender reappeared and slid the cold beverage in Marcus' direction.

"Thanks," he exclaimed eagerly as he reached for the glass. His overshoot was calculated to ensure that he would fumble the pint, causing it to spill right into his neighbor's lap.

"Son of..." the man grumbled. "You been drinking all day or something?"

While the man was brushing the liquid from his pants, Marcus quickly reached for a pile of bar napkins, scooping up the keys on his way.

"So sorry about that," he began as he handed the man a fist full of miniature towels.

"Just get the hell out of here," the man rose to his feet.

"Sure, sure, yeah, no problem."

Marcus backed away slowly and angled himself for the door. His heart pounded harder and harder as he fought the urge to look back. Instead, he pressed onward into the muggy night air.

"You've done that before," a familiar voice chimed in, "that was way too smooth."

"I told you there's a lot you don't know about me," he replied, dangling the keys for her to see.

However, just as soon as he did, his heart sank. The logo on them did not belong to a Taudi.

"What's wrong?" the vulpine asked, seeing the look of concern on his face.

"These aren't the right keys," he began as he hit the button to unlock the door to a sleek all black Bavaria parked just one spot in front of the Taudis.

"Well I think it's a little late to put them back," Fiona elbowed him to hurry.

A quick glance over his shoulder revealed that the man had discovered his keys were missing and now storming towards the door.

"Get in," he yelled at the fox.

Whether it was the car they were after or not, it did seem belong to one of their three targets, so it was going to have to do in a pinch. Before Marcus was even seated, he had the car started. Its inline six roared to life.

"This is the wrong car," she was screaming at him. "Are we even going to be able to outrun them in this?"

He felt the need to smile at her as he dumped the clutch. A Bavaria were every bit the beast a Taudi was, and it made sure to let them know by kicking them as far back in their seats as it could. In just seconds he had cleared two blocks, forcing him to back off the accelerator.

"What are you doing, don't stop."

"How do we know if this car is tracked like the others?"

"Crap..." The vixen paused, "we don't, we need them to chase us."

On cue, two Taudis erupted into rear view mirror.

Reaching for second, Marcus opened up the car more as he entered the bus lane. Lights of all color streaked by as he focused on the road in front of him.

"Fiona," he began as he caught a glimpse of one of the cars in his side mirror, "I think they have guns."

The short man was leaning out the passenger window, waving a pistol in his direction.

"Of course they have guns," she screamed over the engine. "Were you expecting bouquet of roses?"

Car chases were not made easier by bullets. He needed to change the landscape and quickly.

Reaching for the car's handbrake, he sent them on their journey sideways as he angled himself down a smaller one-way street. The Bavaria rocketed through Capitol City, its paint melding into the night and asphalt alike.

"Do you think you can lose the car with two people in it?" the fox asked him. "We're not going to have time to set a trap like I had planned."

"I'll see if we can even the odds," Marcus replied as he turned sharply back onto one of the city's larger boulevards.

There was no mistaking the sound of gunfire, or the fresh bullet hold in is side mirror.

"Do you think maybe you could shoot back," the kid suggested to ruby vixen.

"If they see me, they're going to call for backup, they know who I am."

With a quick flick of his wrist, Marcus put the car into third and began to race thru traffic that was comparatively standing still. Weaving in and out of cars gave him the cover he needed to find what he was looking for.

To his surprise, his pursuers had learned a thing or two since their last encounter. The car with the gunman was pulling up alongside him again.

"Marcus," the vixen began to growl at him.

"Almost there," he clenched his teeth as he focused.

"Now," he shouted to no one as he ripped the handbrake from its resting spot.

His turn put him mere inches in front of a bus as he jettisoned the car onto an onramp. From the safety of his rear-view mirror he watched as the driver tried to replicate his move, but it was too late, the window was gone, and the Taudi found itself clipping the transit bus before spinning out of control and into a light pole.

"Not bad," the fox mused as she peeked over her shoulder.

However, they weren't out of the woods yet. The remaining Taudi pressed after him with renewed vigor. The two cars bolted down the highway at frightening speeds approaching 150MPH (240 KMH).

"Can you make it out to Estarax?" the vulpine asked over the red line.

Marcus smiled as he reached for fifth, dipping between the late-night traffic was easier on larger roads. The vaulted suspension bridge came and went in a few short breaths as they flew beneath its wires. The car backfired as he hit the transmission with an aggressive downshift to help shave off some of their speed. The exit ramp from the elevated highway was steep and curved.

"You're going to want to hold on," Marcus managed as he dug into a sharp turn.

From there it was a few quick jaunts down smaller backstreets before he found himself in one of the most rundown areas of the city. Abandoned factories littered the bay front. Marcus almost felt bad for having to plow thru a chained gate. Denting a car this pristine felt like a crime onto itself.

Racing thru the gravel courtyard Marcus entered one of the warehouses, the roar of his inline six radiated off the concrete as he tore through the empty structure. When he emerged on the other side he panicked, heaving his entire weight onto the brake petal. The tires screeched to a halt as he stopped just a few feet short of the water edge.

"That was a little closer than I wanted it to be," he admitted to his partner.

But when he turned to face Fiona, there wasn't so much as an indentation in the seat she used to be sitting in.

"How in the..." Marcus said to himself as he opened his own door.

He could only assume it was his new friend pulling up in the Taudi.

"You picked the wrong people kid... if you had any idea what we did for a living, I promise you wouldn't have tried to pull this stupid stunt."

The overgrown copper was advancing and quickly.

"Maybe if you knew what I did for a living," the kid countered, "you wouldn't have followed me out into the middle of nowhere."

"You little twerp," the ogre of a man screamed at him. "I ought to feed you to the fish right now."

Looking over his shoulder, the kid couldn't help but notice how close a watery death could be.

Focus, I trained for this.

Marcus did his best to channel his inner Dirk as he side stepped the man's lunge before quickly following up with a punch that connected with the man's jaw.

"Are you kidding me!?" the kid stammered in pain, shaking out his hand. He was certain he had punched walls that were softer.

The man chuckled unfazed, "You're in over your head kid."

Any time now Fiona.

Looming over him, the goon had backed him all the way to the edge of the pier. There as nowhere left to run, and Marcus was fresh out of ideas.

Out of nowhere, the fox struck. A boot appeared between the man's legs as the vixen delivered a stern kick to the copper's groin from behind. A once big man toppled over in pain, screaming in agony as he curled up on the ground.

"What the hell Fiona! Did you just kick him in the balls?"

"You're welcome."

"You can't do that."

"Sure I can, I just did."

"I mean... don't you have any honor?"

"And how did punching him in the face work out for your honor?"

"I..." Marcus sputtered as he looked down at his swelling hand.

"I tried to tell you this the other day. There's winning and there's loosing. The looser ends up like him," the fox grunted as she delivered another kick to the man to keep him subdued. "And the winner gets to go home and fuck the prom queen," the vixen barked at him as she rolled the still seemingly incapacitated man on his stomach. "Now help me cuff him."

The Red Shadow was scary when she was working. Rather than risk getting any further on her bad side, he knelt down and secured their prisoner's hands while Fiona tied a gag in his mouth.

She warned me didn't she? She becomes someone else. It was strange to see the transformation. One moment she was the fox who teased him, the next she was the type of Mobian the media was constantly reminding him about. Fiona was every bit as ruthless as Ixis when she needed to be.

Together they managed to drag the man back to his feet despite the fact he probably weighed more than the two of them put together.

"Why did we have to get stuck with the fat one," Marcus said as he strained himself.

There was a distinct lack of a response from the fox next to him.

"Come on Fi," the kid tried to laugh, "We got him, you can tell the Red Shadow to go home."

"The jobs done when it's done," she replied thru gritted teeth.

Inching around to the back of the car, Marcus fumbled for the keys in his pocket as the fox sifted thru their soon to be trunk occupant's pants.

"What are you looking for?"

"Anything that will tell us who he is," the fox answered as she removed a worn leather wallet.

Along with it came a pocket full of change that clattered to the ground. Marcus found his attention captivated by one of the larger coins catch his eye as he knelt down to pick it up. He recognized them from when he was younger. His grandfather would gift them to him regularly. Although they had since been removed from circulation, a novelty of the past whose value was more central to the eye of its holder.

"Focus," the vixen instructed him as he pocketed the coin.

"Do you even know what a prom queen is?" he couldn't help but ask as they tipped the top-heavy man into the trunk of the Bavaria.

He needed the conversation, no matter how silly, to help distract him so he could pretend what they were doing was normal. I mean, come on, who hasn't bound, gagged, and stuffed someone in the trunk of car at a deserted wharf before?

"Nope," Fiona responded as she slammed the trunk.

"Didn't think so," Marcus sighed as he reached for the driver side door.

The fox was still looking more Mister Hyde than Doctor Jekyll when he found his seat. Her gleaming canines did little to help change his opinion. Marcus knew this was a show, but he wasn't sure how much he wanted to test her. This other Mobian, this Red Shadow, seemed to forget who he was.

"They're the winners of a stupid popularity contest at an overrated school dance," he proclaimed as he started the vehicle.

"What?" the fox raised an eyebrow.

"Prom queens."

"Huh." she couldn't help but ponder the thought aloud, "so they're winners too?"

"You mean because they get f..."

"No," she interrupted him in an exasperated tone, "you said they won a popularity contest."

"Oh, yeah, I guess so. Seems like everyone's a winner."

Bonus points to anyone who can name the movie and actor I quoted somewhere in this chapter. I think the line stands out a bit because it's somewhat out of character for the person who says it. However, that was somewhat intentional.

Might take a brake from this story for a little while and work on one the others. This chapter was considerably more time consuming than I had planned and I think the quality suffered a little bit because of it.