Chapter 2: Cassia and Cee
Scourge wakes up in his king size bed and unlocks the small vault he keeps under the night stand, checking to see that all 3 Medallions are still inside. Chavele yawns as her boyfriend stands up and walks into the bathroom. She checks her phone for any messages and joins the green hedgehog.
"What're we doing today?" she asks
"You are staying here til I get back" Scourge answers
"What, why? I wanna come along!"
"I gotta deal with some clowns, Chev. Business shit"
"You think I can't handle it? Is that it?"
Scourge leans against the sink "Course not. I'm well aware of what you can do. No, this is my business, and I'll be the one to handle it. So just chill here for a bit, then we'll go out later"
"That's not fair. You always keep me holed-up here while you get to do the fun shit. I wanna come"
"Just fuckin' stay put until I get back, alright!" Scourge orders, making Chavele to jump back "...you'll come along when I say you can. Jesus Christ..."
He sprays himself with cologne, puts on his gold chain and leaves his girlfriend in the large washroom.
"Keep your phone on, I'll text you when I'm done"
"Sure.." Chavele replies
Scourge takes the Medallions, puts his leather jacket on and quickly ties his shoelaces, then unlocks the front door.
"...I'll come back with some food and drinks, Chev"
He closes the door behind him and Chavele locks it right after.
The black haired hedgehog removes the SIM card from her phone, pulls a new one from her purse and slides it in. She waits for the phone to boot up, then she taps on her contacts.
Rocky C.
She begins to type a message to him
Rock, this is Cassia. I can't keep up the act, we need to set him up tonight!
-C
[Rocky is typing]
Alright. Where and When?
-R
She types a response
Get your guys to the Foundation Tunnels. 3:00
-C
[Rocky is typing]
K. Make sure you take those Gems as fast as you can
-R
She puts her phone away and lays down on the bed.
'Chavele' has a secret she's been keeping from Scourge for roughly 7 months.
Her real name is Cassia Pronghorn and she met Manic the Hedgehog in Metropolis one year ago. He discovered his Jade Medallion gave him special, yet limited abilities.
He didn't have the speed of his brother Sonic or the I.Q of his sister Sonia, but he could manipulate a Neon energy in various way: Fast healing, Strength, Endurance, Pain tolerance and Small Speed boosts.
At first, only he could wield this energy, then Cassia took possession of the Crystal Medallion and learned she, too, could use it's abilities.
After a confrontation, they eventually became friends and Manic took back his sister's Medallion.
Then he found out Scourge stole the third Gem while he was busy in Metropolis.
Cassia heard about Scourge's attacks and immediately knew he had the Sapphire Medallion. She could still manipulate the Gem's energy, and she wanted to stop Scourge as much as Manic did, but didn't know how to take the Gem away without getting caught.
So she created the alias Chavele and radically changed her appearance so no one would recognize her.
She met Scourge in Bridge Town and seduced him that same night. Cassia knew getting close meant being romantically involved with him so she had to stay in character and keep up the act at any cost.
She just wasn't ready for how much of an asshole Scourge was.
Cassia has been dating him as Chavele for 7 months now, and she's been waiting for the perfect chance to take the Medallion from him. But now that he has all 3 Gems, she knows she has to act now before he does serious damage.
The black haired hedgehog gets ready for her daily exercises, she's going to need all the preparation she can get once it all starts.
Down in the grimy area known as The Brig, Tails is fitted with a dirty moss-green jumpsuit and put to work in the nearby fields. He, along with 20 other workers pull fruits and vegetables from their roots and place them in baskets. The hot sun boils over the orange sky, providing no shade from the heat for anyone.
Apart from the armed guards in watchtowers, who sit comfortably above everyone else.
After he fills his basket, he's ordered to take it to the end of the field and give it to another field worker, who gives him a new basket to fill.
The teenage fox repeats this for 4 straight hours, getting hardly any breaks in between.
Ice cold water bottles are passed out by the elderly workers, and every hour a guard sprays the crowd with a water hose to cool them down.
Tails goes to hand over another basket when he hears more voices calling to him from behind a nearby building
"Hey kid! Over here!" a male voice says
Tails looks around, trying to find where this is coming from
"Back here! Behind the northeast tower!"
He spots it and rushes over quickly so the guards don't see him.
Tails is met by a group of teenagers and young adults
"You're Miles Prower right?" A female badger asks
"..y-yeah, I am" Tails nervously replies
"I thought I recognized you when you came in" She says "A friend of mine wants to have a word"
"I don't think I can stay, those guards will kick my ass if I-"
"This'll only take a minute"
A taller male Fox puts out a cigarette he rolled, then he faces off with the much smaller Tails.
"You and your pansie friends got my uncle locked away for 15 years!"
"Whoa, hey, lets just talk this out!" Tails says, putting his hands up defensively
"Ain't nothing to talk about! I've been waiting for a chance to clap you out!"
The group watch out for guards while their tall friend beats Tails down. He tries to fight back but he's already tired out from working in the field, so he covers up and takes the beating.
"...you tell that bitch Manic he's next!"
The group laugh and walks away, while Tails spits out blood and wipes even more from his nose.
This side of the building provides shade from the boiling heat so he lies here to recover, then eventually passes out.
An hour later, someone spots Tails laying down so they approach him. The fox has a black eye and dried blood on his muzzle, so this individual opens a bag and pulls out a first aid kit.
Tails opens his eyes and sees a female hedgehog with Bleach Blonde hair kneeling over him.
He puts his hands up, afraid of getting struck again
"Please, ma'am, DON'T! My sensitive bones can't take any more!" Tails shouts
The girl shushes him and lightly grasps his wrists
"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you" She says in a light, reassuring voice "I just want to help you"
Tails slowly lowers his guard and lets out a deep sigh of relief
"...lady, you had me scared for my life!.. what the hell is this place?"
She helps him up "Come with me, Tails, I'll tell you once we're inside"
"How'd you know my name?"
The girl escorts him through the field and past the guards, not one of them saying a word. Tails realizes she is someone important here, at least important enough that the guards won't cross her.
They walk through the front doors of a massive brick mansion and the fox feels the air conditioner hit him with nice cold air.
He finally feels his injuries pulse through his entire body, causing him to groan in pain.
The girl takes him to the nearest bedroom and he sits on a large bed.
"Ma'am, where am I? Why aren't they letting us go?" Tails asks
"They call this place New Genocide City. It's where they send workers to die" she answers
Tails thinks about this for a moment "...they said Genocide City was shut down, like, 30 years ago!"
"Well, they um, built a new one. Simian took control from the previous owner. These workers make him money and he provides basic necessities to them"
"Yeah, that totally sounds like a fair trade... they treat us like shit down there!"
"I'm sorry you were brought here, Tails"
"You never told me how you knew my name"
She smiles "Everyone around here knows you and your friends by now. You guys are like celebrities, which confused me when I saw you being pushed through the front gates"
"Yeah, well that wasn't exactly my choice... so, what's your name?"
"I'm Cee"
"Is that short for something?"
"You know, I never found out if it was. Everyone around here just always called me Cee, so I didn't question it"
Tails leans against the wall "Huh... so, how come you're not in the fields working? You Simian's daughter or something?"
"I'm the caretaker. I help cook meals, maintain the properties, heal the wounded, babysit the worker's children... all that neat stuff" Cee answers
"Wait, you're one of Simian's-"
"No! I am NOTHING like him!... I have no choice, Tails.."
He looks at her "He's forcing you to stay here, isn't he?"
She nods
"...how long you been here?"
"All my life"
"...and how long is that?"
"16 years"
"And you've been locked up here this whole time? Never left? Went for a vacation?"
Before Cee can answer, a guard walks by and notices Tails, still in his worker jumpsuit sitting on the bed
"You! Come here! Now!"
Cee stands up "He's injured!"
"Then patch him up and send him back out!"
"He's working for me inside!"
"Did Simian authorize this?"
"He doesn't need to! It's my mansion, I can choose who comes in!" Cee shouts
The guard glares at Tails, then grudgingly stomps off.
Tails looks at Cee "You OWN this place?!"
She sits down "Yeah, Simian gave it to me a few years back. Said it was for 'my loyalty' or something like that"
Tails looks out the window "...I'm guessing that dickhead is up there right now"
He stares at a tall building several hundred yards away, knowing this is Simian's base of operations.
"He has cameras all over the city and watches the live feed in the executive suite on the top floor" Cee says
Tails scoffs "...and that prick Manic is up there just enjoying himself.."
SIMIAN'S EXECUTIVE SUITE - MAIN LOOKOUT TOWER
Manic sits across the table from the fat Warthog as they eat a large dinner and drink an unlimited amount of Wine.
"This ain't a bad setup, Sim. I mean, a little unethical, but not bad money" Manic says as he finishes his meal
The Warthog burps loudly before speaking "You're damn right it's good money. This is a no brainer, boy"
Manic shifts in his seat "So, about my friend Tails-"
"I ain't got nothing to say about that little shit! He stays down there, end of story!"
"Right, right, but hear me out... you said you want me to do runs for you, correct? Well, I'm pretty sure I'll need a ride in and out of the Zone, Sim"
"You do have a ride"
"I mean a reliable ride. No offence, but I've seen how your guys drive. I can't work with that" Manic says "...Tails is a pilot, damn good one. Best I've ever worked with. He can get us in and out, quick and unseen"
Simian takes a big drink of his wine glass before answering "You won't leave this alone, will ya?"
Manic smirks and takes another drink
"...I'm sending a third man with you idiots to make sure everything goes as planned. Anything happens to him, or you two try to escape, I blow that plane to pieces. You fuckin' understand?"
Manic nods "100 percent"
"Alright. Lets go grab your buddy"
Manic puts his drink down "Oh, you meant now? I thought we were gonna start in the morning-"
"Just get off your ass, Manic, you're going now"
"You got it, boss.."
Cassia and Scourge walk through a grass pathway that leads to an underground tunnel.
The ambush she set up is just around the block from here, so she needs to take him down the rest of the path.
He holds her left hand and uses his free hand to pull a small mickey of Vodka out of his jacket pocket.
He takes a swig "That's good shit. Want a drink?"
"No. Thanks"
"Suit yourself... so, about earlier-"
"I get it. It's your business. You deal with it..."
"Yeah, well, I won't have to ever deal with shit, again"
She looks at him "Whaddya mean?"
Scourge pulls out his phone and shows his bank account balance
3 Million dollars.
"Holy shit"
He grins "Yep. We can get the fuck outta this Zone and retire, now. No more strong-arming clowns for chump change"
Cassia hesitates to answer, and Scourge can feel something's up
"...ain't that what you said you wanted to do? Get outta the life? With me? What's wrong?"
She faces him "How did you get that money?"
Scourge turns away from her "What's it matter? I got it and we can leave!"
Cassia feels conflicted about this situation
"You told me you were gonna stop killing for money! That's my problem right now, Scourge!"
"I didn't kill nobody, I'll have you know! ...I rolled some idiots for the cash, alright? Big difference, babe. Big fuckin' difference..."
The green hedgehog pulls out the mickey and takes a big drink, while Cassia tries to figure out if he's lying or not.
One of her talents are seeing through bullshit, and most of the time that's all that has come out of Scourge's mouth.
But, he's also showed her a softer side to him that no one else would believe existed.
She caves in "Alright, I believe you. Do you really wanna leave town with me?"
"That's what I said, ain't it? Like, when I say something, I mean that shit... (sigh) I'm sorry. I've been doing a lotta thinkin'. Can't do this forever. Almost everyone I used to hang with either moved on, got picked up or got clipped. I don't wanna die in prison or out in the street... I wanna get out while I can. And I, uh.. I was hoping you'd come along.."
Cassia looks into his brown eyes, praying he's telling the truth
The blaring sound of gunfire breaks the silence and Scourge pushes Cassia out of the way, while dozens of bullets strike him in the back.
"ARGH! WHAT THE F-"
All 3 Medallions begin to light up around Scourge' neck and he instantly heals. He puts his arms up and gets ready to attack
Then Cassia takes the Gems from him and blasts Pink Neon Energy through his chest
The green hedgehog lets out a pained growl, then drops to his knees as the air leaves his body. He struggles to breathe, so Cassia presses her palm on the wound and passes the same energy back into him. She heals him just enough so he'll live, then she lets him fall to the ground, still in immense pain.
"Nice job, Cass! We finally got him!" A male voice calls out from the shadows
She steps away from Scourge and joins her friend Rocky and his posse.
Turns out they are the family members of Scourge's victims, and they've been looking for a chance to pay him back for almost a year now.
"...what's gonna happen to him?" Cassia asks
"Justice. Town folk have something in store for this piece of shit" Rocky says "On their behalf, you have our thanks"
Scourge groans as two large Hedgehogs grab his arms and drag him back to their truck. He gets one last glance at the girl he thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with, then he passes out.
Rocky looks at her "You gonna be alright?"
"..I didn't think I was gonna feel this guilty about setting him up"
"Ay, you got a murdering bastard off the streets, and you got your little Jewels back. He ain't worth one bit of your guilt, Cass. C'mon, you just saved a lot of lives, tonight. The good guys win"
Rocky grasps her shoulder in comfort, then he takes off with his posse.
"...but I still don't feel good..."