Act II: DESCENT
Chapter V: Only Shallow
Westopolis, Hardenn Tower, Saturday 9:58 PM
The Hardenn tower stood tall in the dark, cold night in Westopolis.
Down in the South Islands, Honey had made herself situated inside. A group of men she had on payroll were there with her, ensuring her complete safety while she dealt with the funds from the mob.
Across from the Hardenn tower was another skyscraper, a ledge on the top occupied by Silver, Blaze, Jet and Storm.
Silver and Blaze situated their gauntlets, ensuring everything was in order.
"Once the charges are planted, we'll give you, Rouge, Razor, and Bark the go-ahead, Shadow." Blaze stated through her earpiece.
Jet and Storm edged forward, kneeling as the hawk unfolded a large gun, cranking the dial up.
Storm fed him a clip, the hawk taking it and clicking it onto the barrel. Aiming down the sights, Jet fired 5 charges onto the windows of the tower across from him.
Storm whistled. "Gonna be a rude awakening!"
"Hate to be Honey in about five minutes," Jet cackled.
"Alrighty, charges are set!" Silver stated through his earpiece, unfurling his cape.
Shadow's voice crackled through the earpiece. "Got it. Wave, cut the power to the building."
Elsewhere, Wave was typing away on her laptop, coding herself into the electrical units of the building. Flicking the kill switch, the power in Hardenn tower was cut off.
"All set, boys, and squirrels!" Wave exclaimed.
Silver and Blaze shared a nod, the pair grabbing hands as they began soaring towards the skyscraper through the air.
Jet and Storm shared an anxious glance, before also leaping from the building as they pulled their wingsuits open.
As Shadow's group laid low, they had fixed themselves with various fancy, state-of-the-art gadgets. All worked for jobs like this.
Inside, Honey was at a desk, talking on the phone as the power cut out. She glanced up at the ceiling, her brow furrowing as her foot began to tap.
"Shit." She whispered, turning her glance to the group of men who were at the table. The group stood up, beginning to make their paths around the large open-plan room.
Honey pulled a drawer open, reaching for a pistol as she cracked her neck.
"Guys, what – what the hell is happening?" Honey asked. The men attempted to reassure her, but Honey was already panicking.
Honey began walking forward, holding her gun close. "Where the hell are the cops around here?"
"We just talked to security," one of her men answered, "They're on their way."
"Well, what the hell am I paying them for?! They're off Charical payroll after this!"
Suddenly, a large window shattered as Silver and Blaze rolled onto the ground. Immediately, one of the men rushed them as Silver stopped him telekinetically, slamming him into a group of desks.
From behind, Blaze snapped her fingers as three small fireballs lunged from her gauntlets onto another, singing his jacket as the man yelped in pain.
Honey aimed her gun, her face scrambled in terror as she tried backing out of the room.
From the other end, Shadow and Rouge emerged, grabbing two men as they knocked them out cold. Bark stormed in from the south-end, punching three men down onto the ground, stepping on their guts.
Honey's gang was barking orders, only for the Rogues to dart in hollering, swinging bats and clubs wildly as they knocked down more gang men.
Honey cursed, as she and two other men began firing wildly – shattering glass and launching bullet holes into various desks.
The group all ducked for cover, Silver attempting to stop the flurry of bullets with a telekinetic barrier.
"Jesus, shoulda known this would happen!" Storm exclaimed.
Rouge tapped onto her earpiece. "Alrighty Razor, you said you wanted some experience, now's your chance!"
From behind the men, Razor lunged forward, kicking one down as another swung his gun, the pistol firing as Razor grabbed it, landing a hook into his face.
Honey tried firing at him, but a cyan hue surrounded her as Silver hoisted her up into the air.
"Erg – damnit!" The cat cried, as Silver moved his hands, bringing Honey forward through the air.
Dropping her, Shadow caught her, holding her to his chest as he fumbled on his belt.
Suddenly, shouting and footsteps began making their way into the room – the Westopolis police all pointing their weapons towards the vigilantes.
"Drop her! Drop her right now!"
Shadow stared daggers, the vigilantes pointing their weapons back to the police, until the charges exploded, shattering the windows. A burst of flames encapsulated the outside of the skyscraper, the glass littering the floors.
Blaze sighed, before launching a wall of fire towards the police, the team scrambling in terror to escape the barrier heading towards them.
Silver grabbed Honey, soaring off into the sky as a plane began making way overhead. Shadow looked towards the team, all nodding as they opened their wingsuits – jumping from the tower and gliding into the night sky.
They reached a tower on the west side, as two helicopters were positioned – awaiting their arrival.
"Boy, it sure pays to keep some of those mob contacts, huh?!" Wave exclaimed, shouting over the loud whirring of the helicopter propellors.
Shadow stood to the side as the group situated inside the transport. Before Razor could step on, Shadow stopped him.
"You did well. I think you could make a fine addition to the team."
Razor nodded, smiling. "I'd like that, sir."
Shadow chuckled, ushering him onto the helicopter as Rouge slithered to his side.
"Alrighty, partner. Ready to get home?"
Shadow nodded, his eyes following Rouge as she stepped onto the helicopter.
Central City SWAT Precinct, Sunday 1:15 PM
Vector whistled away, sorting through papers at his desk as Espio and Mighty were writing down leads on a white board.
"So! Whaddya got for me?" Vector asked pointedly.
"Well, considering these banks are emptied, and we're still waiting for the whole Honey mess to get cleared up, I think these three locations would be good hits," Mighty stated.
"Issue is documenting our arrival to them. We cannot arrive in an obvious manner. I imagine they will be much more on alert," Espio added.
Charmy flicked another paper football across the room, earning a cocked eyebrow from Vector.
"How'd ya miss that badly, Charmy?"
Charmy chuckled. "I'm good at explosives, not paper football!"
Vector snorted, turning his gaze back to Espio and Mighty. "Well, let's get Knucklehead and the rest on this. Can't be tomorrow night though, Vanilla's got a fantastic dinner planned that I ain't missing for anything!"
"I'd recommend a strike at night," Espio replied, earning a nod from Mighty.
"One late would be beneficial." The armadillo added.
Before Vector could respond, the door swung open, Tangle and Whisper peaking their heads in.
"Chief, you're gonna want to see this!" Tangle exclaimed.
As the squad went outside, tied up on the stairs was Honey – a note taped to her dress.
"Deliver to Knuckles – S, S, and B"
"Shadow, Silver and Blaze got busy, huh?!" Vector exclaimed, chortling as Honey rolled her eyes.
"As long as he continues to work with us and not against us," Whisper added, tearing the note from Honey's dress.
"Well, Honey. I guess we better get you down to the precinct, huh?" Mighty said, hoisting her to her feet.
Honey said nothing, her gaze locked ahead as Mighty led her to a van.
Vector slammed Espio on the back, chuckling. "My, my, my. I love my job!"
C.C.P.D. Main Precinct: Interrogation Room, Sunday 3:05 PM
Sonic and Tails rushed into the room, their eyes meeting Knuckles, Khan and the rest of the crime force as they watched through a window.
"Sorry we're late! Got caught up at another crime scene!" Sonic said.
"That's alrighty, suga! How'd it go!" Bunnie asked, smiling at the pair.
"Went well, sent a squad to get the perp. He's in county now," Tails replied.
"Ah, always an easy pull with you two!" Antoine exclaimed.
Sonic chuckled, taking his side by Amy as they watched Sonia grill Honey inside of the interrogation room.
Manic sat by Honey, jotting notes down.
"Good grief – Manic got wrapped up in this yet again," Sonic stated.
"Your brother doesn't know when to quit, man," Scourge said, shaking his head with a chuckle.
"Listen up though, it's gettin' funny in there!" Fiona said, her arm locking around Scourge's.
"Look," Sonia said, from inside the room, "You give us the money, and then we can talk about a deal."
"The money is the only reason I'm still alive right now," Honey replied, staring daggers at the hedgehog.
Sonia paced, chuckling under her breath. "Oh, so if they find out you're helping us they'll kill you?"
"Woah, are you threatening my client?" Manic asked his sister, raising an eyebrow.
"No, no – just assuming she's cooperating is all. As everyone will." Sonia said with a smirk, sitting back down across the table.
Sonia stared at the cat for a while, Honey seeming not to budge.
Sonia sighed, cocking her neck. "No? Alright. Enjoy your time in county, then."
The hedgehog got up, beginning to walk until Honey spoke up. "Wait!"
Sonia stopped, turning over her shoulder with her hands on her hips. The cat sighed, shuffling as she twiddled her thumbs.
"I – I can't give you the money. But – I'll give you my clients. All of them!"
Sonic whistled. He remembered Shadow telling him Honey flips very easy to save her own ass.
She's smart.
"What could you have on all of them that we could even charge?" Sonia asked, squinting.
"Charical handled their shipments. I helped track their money, all their money. It's – it's like one big pot."
Khan clicked the recorder off, pumping his fist slightly. "Got it."
Sally whistled. "Really doesn't get better than that, huh?"
Cosmo shared a look at Tails, the fox staring at the ground. She thudded him on the shoulder. "You okay, partner?"
Tails sighed. "I am – just don't think this is even close to the end."
Cosmo sighed, putting her head on his shoulder. "I don't either – but one step at a time."
Knuckles shared a glance with Khan, watching as Sonia exited the room.
"If they all shared their money in one large fund, we can charge them all with one conspiracy."
"Wait – charge them with what?" Knuckles asked pointedly.
"If you can prove that one person committed the felony, then-"
He turned to Sonia, realization dawning on their faces.
"You can charge them all with it." The pair said in unison, sharing a smile as Sonia whistled – heading back into the cell.
"Boy, I'm really not up to date with all of this shit," Julie-su remarked, fumbling for a cigarette.
"Alright, Honey," Sonia started, walking towards the table. "What can you tell me about this large fund? Do you have any ledgers, or-"
"I want immunity, protection, and a flight back to Westopolis," Honey replied.
"After you testify in an open court. I am curious though, with all of them locked up what happens to the money?" Sonia replied with a smirk.
"It'll get figured out. I'm good with calculation," Honey said in a whisper, squeezing her fists tight.
"Look, Khan – she can't go to county. I need eyes on her here," Knuckles stated.
"This isn't some fortress, Knuckles," Khan replied, glaring at the echidna.
"Do you trust them at county, Ken?" Amy asked, sipping from her coffee.
"I don't exactly trust them here," the monkey replied.
"Look, if she's here, then you have us watching her. I think we've proven enough that you can trust the people in this room," Sonic said, approaching Khan.
"At the very least the people in this room," Tails added, his brow furrowed.
Khan sighed, fumbling in his pockets. "Fine. Either way – she, and all her buddies are going down."
"Don't worry, Kenny," Sonic started with a grin, "You can count on us for that."
The Chemical Lounge, Monday 1:20 PM
The club hadn't opened for partygoers yet, as daylight hours still shone through the windows.
Starline sat around a large table, watching the television as Ken Khan spoke to the news about Honey's arrest.
Starline clutched his glass of wine, putting the wrench down as he was fixing Metal's processors.
Zero had his head in his hands, his foot tapping wildly. The entire mob was silent and enraged, watching as Honey was so easily found out.
At this point, they couldn't trust anyone with anything.
The door opened, Nack stepping through with a stack of files.
"Boss, Thrash was killed two nights ago. Not sure how I'm just now finding out about this."
Starline raised an eyebrow, beckoning for the files as he looked through them.
He cursed, squeezing his fist tight. "That wretched lizard."
"Looks like he poached one of our guys. The other one…didn't make it outta there alive."
Starline sighed, his eyes turning back to the television. Zero lifted his head, eyes dawning with an idea.
"We have to hire the lizard."
Every eye landed upon him, every head turned to his direction. Starline cocked an eyebrow, clicking his tongue.
"Hire the lizard? The one who stole from us, and then killed Thrash? Now you say we should hire him?"
"Look at the television!" Zero said, gesturing towards the display, "He was right. We have a real problem with Shadow and the rest running around. The police were only the beginning of our troubles!"
Starline reclined, his hand resting over his face. Bean clicked his tongue. "He's right…"
Starline sighed, biting down on his lip. "I swore we would be back with a vengeance. Suddenly, an enthusiastic District Attorney and a police force who won't quit decide to come swinging. I am not going to back out on my promise."
Zero sighed. "I don't think hiring Eclipse is backing out of our promise. If anything, it will help us in the long run."
"And with Ivo and Nazo shacked up in Everhold, if we don't have him on our side we're gonna start seein' a lot more of our guys go down!" Nack said, gesturing around the room at the suited men.
Starline rolled his eyes, tapping his fingers rapidly on the table. "The real problem is everyone in this room not playing smart. After this, we are going back to the way things were. It's time to return this mob to former glory."
Zero sighed, shaking his head. "You need to at least consider it. If this gets out of hand, like Eclipse said, we're all screwed."
"Our influences in the major offices are dwindling. I thought that Mephiles dude helped – turns out that ain't really the case," Bean added, kicking his feet up on the table.
"Either way – it will be resolved. We have major Zypothime shipments on standby, and once those are complete will we have much more leeway. We need to hold out slightly longer," Starline stated.
The noise from below the club startled them, hearing barking and shouting of a large squad, causing the platypus to shoot from his seat.
"What in the hell is that?"
Zero shot forward, getting closer to the window to see who was there. Turning around, Zero's face was wrought with anguish and anger.
"It's the SWAT team and the crime force."
The mobsters began rushing out of the room, Starline staring below in absolute fury.
This is not going to end how they think it will.
He would promise them that.