Chapter 5: A Friendly Reminder
1 HOUR LATER
"...and then we beat the crap outta these fake ass posers from Metropolis, right Tails?" Manic asks
The Fox sighs "Uh-huh. Yes we did"
Manic starts punching the air mockingly "Yeah, I walked up and I was like pow-pow-pow! Three quick ones, left, right, left! That fat bastard didn't know what hit him! I couldn't drop him, but I knocked that smile off his ugly mug! Tell her, T"
"Yep, happened exactly like that..."
Manic shoots a Neon Green ball of energy into the night sky
"I set that shit off like I did on New Years, Cee! Speaking of New Years, remember when I whooped everyone's asses that night, Tails? That was great!"
"I don't think you should shoot off your energy, Manic..." Tails advises
"What, like this?"
He fires another one into the sky
"Yes, stop doing that! You're gonna attract attention!"
"You worry too much, T! We're good! (Laughs) Yo, Cee, this actually reminds me of that time these guys Hazard kidnaped Tails, here. He's kicking and screaming and you know, going through the motions. Anyways..."
Cee listens to the green hedgehog's story but notices Tails isn't too interested in what he has to say.
"...is everything alright with you guys?"
Manic and Tails look at each other for a moment, then turn back to Cee
"Fine"
"Good"
The Blonde haired hedgehog looks at them "Come on, I can tell something is going on between you two"
"It ain't me with the problem, that honor belongs to Mr. Prower, here"
"Oh, fuck off! I'm not the one whose been an absolute asshole to the only guy who's had your back this entire time!"
"Bro, you said we could trust Cass, now she's out with fuckface using MY Medallion and there's nothing I can do about it because I have no clue where she is! How about that one? Huh? What's your stupid ass answer that that?" Manic asks
"Have you ever considered why she ran off with him? You think 'shit, maybe I should treat my friends better?' No, you don't! Ever since we got down here, you've changed, you've been nothing but an egotistical douche!"
Manic looks away from Tails in anger
"...you can't blame everyone else for all the shitty things that have happened in your life, Manic. And I'm sick of being brought down because of you"
Manic pushes the Fox "Ah, yeah? Well how 'bout we settle this right now?!"
"...that's all you had to say"
Cee jumps in between them "STOP! Please, don't fight!"
She puts each hand Manic and Tails' chests to keep them apart, while the green hedgehog glares intently at the teenage Fox
"...we get back to town, and that's it between us, Prower. We're done"
"We were done the second you got us into that stupid contest"
"Yeah well, don't worry, I won't drag you into anymore of my bullshit, kid. You can go ahead and live the perfect life you've always wanted..."
"I will"
Manic pulls away from Cee and he starts walking down a dark pathway. Tails shakes this off and follows close behind.
The trio enter what they believe is a shortcut, a long trail that goes downhill. They walk down a brick pathway, with only 2 street lights illuminating the area. Tall trees surround the brick path and nothing else can be seen past the woodland. Manic and Tails pull out their phones, switch on their built-in flashlights and use this light to see where they are going.
Manic is just about to put his headphones back in, but he hears sticks crunching in the woodland, coming from the left side.
Someone is running through the darkness and aiming for them.
"GET BACK!"
Suddenly, Tails is tackled out of the light and falls down a dirt hill, while Manic looks out for the attacker
"TAILS!" Manic and Cee shout
"I'm okay! Just get the bastard!" He yells back
Manic is sliced across the back of his right leg and blood spills on the brick pathway, while the attacker quickly grabs Cee and keeps the blade to her throat
"Easy, now, boy! Easy! Just chill out, we don't want this knife to slip, now"
Manic growls angrily "Hey, badass, come put that blade to my throat! Come on, leave her outta this! You wanna fight? Lets fight!"
The attacker is wearing a mask which covers half of his face, he has long dreadlocked hair that dangles down and has an athletic build.
His Navy blue attire looks to be a uniform of some kind, which makes Manic assume he is trained.
"Look, pal, just let the girl go and we can do this, man to man. Alright?"
"I don't want to fight. I just want the money back, then I'm gone"
Manic pauses "...what money? The hell are you talkin' about?"
"DON'T - just don't do that. Hand it over and we can all go home safe" The attacker says
"Bro, I don't know what money you're talking about! On my life, I don't know!"
"Allman Grey! You robbed him a few hours ago!"
"Bro, I didn't rob anyone! At least, I didn't rob anybody today"
"I don't care, kid. Just give me the money and you'll never have to see my face again"
"...wait, are you looking for a green hedgehog with a glowing Medallion?" Manic asks
"Yeah, that's YOU, smartass!"
Manic puts his hands up defensively "You probably won't believe me, but there is another green hedgehog out there who STOLE my Medallion. His name is Scourge, and he's the one you're looking for, not me! Alright?"
"Bullshit!"
"Not this time, pal"
The group get quiet as they wait to see what the attacker will do. He thinks about this and slowly starts to realize Manic is telling the truth.
He lowers the knife away from Cee's throat and takes two steps away from the blonde hedgehog
Then Tails flies out of the shadows and grabs the attacker
They fly up into the night sky "Get her outta here, Manic! Go!"
"Tails, what the fuck are you doing?!"
The Fox gains altitude and gets the attacker far from his friends
He spots a sports car parked one block away from the path and realizes this is the attacker's vehicle
"...take his car!" Tails shouts, barely audible in the distance
"What car are you-" Manic looks up and sees the headlights "...that car, right"
Manic grabs Cee's hand and they run back up the brick path, reach the street and open the doors to get inside this silver 4 door. The green hedgehog puts the car in neutral and stomps on the gas pedal, causing the car's engine to roar as the horsepower kicks in.
As he adjusts the rear view mirror, he reads a nametag, presumably the owner's. "Alastair"
Meanwhile, Tails throws the attacker at a nearby building and he breaks through a glass window. As he slides across the floor, tiny glass shards get lodged into his forearms and upper back. A loud alarm goes off and the local police department is called.
Tails flies away from the building before anyone can I.D him, while the attacker looks out the broken window and watches the teenage fox escape.
"Little bastard..."
The teenage Fox soars past the forrest area as fast as he can, trying to escape the city quickly.
He hears a voice shouting to him, so he descends back to street level
"...Tails!... TAILS!" A male voice calls out, slowly getting louder "Over here!"
The Fox looks down "...Beni? Is that you?"
"Yeah, man, wait up!"
Tails lands on the sidewalk and approaches a short, greenish-blue Crow, nicknamed B.B by his friends
"Dude, what're you doing out here?" Tails asks
"I saw that Neon shit from Manic's Medallion and I followed it for as long as I could, bro! Tails, you guys have SO MUCH heat on you, that's why we had to find you before anyone else!" B.B answers
The Fox looks over and spots another one of his old friends, the tall hedgehog Thompson, leaning out the window of his blue 4x4 truck
"Guys, we can't stay 'round these parts, lets move!" Thompson shouts
"He's right, c'mon"
The Fox and Crow jump into the back seats of the truck and Thompson steps on the gas pedal.
"Where is Manic?" B.B asks
Tails pulls out his cellphone "I'm not sure, let me call him"
While he waits for the green hedgehog to pick up, Tails looks out his window as the 4x4 races out of Casinopolis and down a very long highway. Thick, white clouds form over the night sky and snow falls very fast, forcing Thompson to switch on his windshield wipers so he can see.
B.B hops into the passenger seat "Lets get the heat going, man, I'm freezing my ass off!"
Thompson grabs his wrist "No, wait, don't touch that!"
The Crow turns the knob slightly and the truck's battery instantly shuts off. Thompson's 4x4 slows down and comes to a stop in the middle lane of the busy highway.
"...what the hell just happened?" Tails asks
"My truck's taken some hits and now, if anything but the ignition is turned on, the battery cuts off. I need to get it looked at" Thompson says while trying to start up the vehicle "...I fucking told B.B that before we left, I don't know why you just touched my shit!"
The Crow puts his hands up "Sorry, man! I forgot!"
Tails looks out the back window and sees the headlights of oncoming traffic making their way directly towards them.
"Uh, can you get this truck off the road? We're right in the path of other speeding vehicles!"
"I'm trying!"
"Try harder!"
"B.B, shut the fuck up!"
The Fox looks out and sees the incoming vehicles are 18 wheelers and by now they are honking their loud horns as they get closer
"Those Rigs can't slow down at this speed, Thompson, they'll rip through us like tinfoil, COME ON!" Tails shouts
B.B grasps both their hands "We're gonna DIE!"
The tall hedgehog finally gets the engine to start up once more, then pulls his hand out of B.B's grasp
"Get your damn hand away from me!"
He steps on the pedal and the truck speeds off the highway just as the massive 18 wheelers blast through where they just were a second before. Thompson pulls the truck over to the shoulder lane of the highway and all three friends let out a sigh of relief.
"...that was intense" B.B says
Thompson gives him a pissed off look, so The Crow jumps out of the passenger seat and sits in the back, while Tails sits up front.
"Let's just get back to Metropolis and figure this out in the morning. I'm too tired for anymore of this shit" Thompson says
Tails nods "I agree"
They get back into the highway and race down the long stretch of lanes, now slick from the snow fall. Tails leans his seat back and gets the first real bit of sleep he's had all week.
On the other side of Casinopolis, Manic drives the silver car he and Cee stole from their attacker. He sticks to the back streets to avoid being seen operating a vehicle without a licence. The last thing they need are the cops getting involved.
"It's been years since I've driven, Cee! ...won't take long for the fuzz to find out this ain't my ride. I think we should pull in somewhere for the night" Manic says
"Okay, if you think that's the best thing to do..." She says, looking out the passenger side window
"...you alright?"
"I'm fine"
"Hey, I didn't mean any of that shit earlier, Cee. I'm an asshole, I know. This ain't Tails' fault, I dragged him into this"
The blonde haired hedgehog looks at him "Tails is a good guy, Manic. He's had nothing but good things to say about you all night"
The green hedgehog sighs "Yeah, I know... look, I'm a terrible friend to him. But I won't let anything bad happen to him. Or you. I just made him that promise to keep you safe, and I like to keep my promises"
She smiles, then notices the snow falling from the sky
"Wow!"
"What?" Manic asks, looking at her and then back at the road
"I've always seen it snow on christmas movies, but never actually seen it in real life!..."
"They don't get snow in Genocide City?"
"No. It's boiling hot all year 'round"
"Sounds like my type of place... well, minus the homicidal warlords and armed guards"
Cee turns back to him "Manic, I've always dreamt of leaving New Genocide City my whole life, and now that I'm finally free, I don't know what to say... thank you"
Cee leans over and kisses Manic on the cheek to show her appreciation, and he grins
"Hey, I see a gas station, lets go buy some munchies for the night. We'll look for a place to park this car and get some sleep"
After a quick stop in the 24 hour gas bar, Manic and Cee pack the back seats full with various snacks, tall cans and a few bottles of water.
They drive out of town, through some dark back roads, then Manic finds the perfect spot to park for the night.
He drives the silver car up a dirt hill, then pulls up behind a tall billboard, advertising a nearby fast food restaurant.
"Alright, this billboard should cover us for the night" Manic says "Now, lets just uh... chill out, I guess"
Cee pulls out another sugary can of soda, while Manic opens a tall can of a mixed alcoholic beverage.
"What is that?" Cee asks
"Huh? Oh, this? Whiskey and Cola mix. Much better than that pussy pop Tails bought for you"
"Better? I thought the soda was pretty good!"
Manic opens another tall can, takes the soda and gives her the mixed drink. He rolls down his window to throw the soda outside and rolls the window back up.
"Trust me, Cee. In our situation, you'll enjoy the Whiskey more"
"Alright"
She takes a drink and the burning sensation of the alcohol makes her choke up for a moment, while Manic laughs quietly as he drinks his can back no problem.
"Oh, wow!... that is (cough) very different from the soda..."
"You'll come to enjoy those eventually. I tend to sip on these when I get sick of regular beer"
"What is beer?" Cee asks
Manic laughs "We'll leave that for another day... for now, lets get this heat going, some tunes crankin' and enjoy the comfort of this stolen car"
The green hedgehog quickly turns knobs with his left hand and takes a drink of his tall can with his right.
The heat comes on and warms up the couple, then Manic looks to see if any radio stations will come in.
"Come on, gimme a signal!..."
After 24 stations of only static, the 25th one comes in perfectly
"Schism" by Tool plays
"Hell yeah!" Manic says as he turns up the volume knob
"...I hope Tails is okay" Cee says
Manic hesitates to answer "...he's a tough kid. He'll be just fine"
His cellphone vibrates again as Tails' number pops up, but Manic ignores his call, still upset over the argument he had with the Fox an hour ago.
CENTRAL LION HOTEL, DOWNTOWN METROPOLIS
Scourge stands before the balcony railing of his rented 18th floor luxury suite, and finishes his glass of wine. He throws the glass over the edge and leans against the railing to look over the city, unbothered by the heavy snowfall.
His girlfriend Cassia puts on a jacket and joins him in the dark balcony.
"...I like this place, Cass. Wine is cheap, everyone knows to fuck off and not ask questions... it's a haven for criminals" Scourge says, still enjoying the view "...not to mention the cops are easily persuaded with the right amount of cash. It feels like home"
The black haired hedgehog places her hand over top of his "It does... but you know he won't stop..."
"Who?"
They make eye contact, then Scourge realizes who she means
"Oh fuck, Manic is a punk! Always has been, always will be!... he should know what'll happen if he ever tries to fuck with me again"
"He should, but he doesn't... I know him. He'll come after you until he beats you"
She pulls out the Crystal Medallion "Not to mention, he wants this back"
Scourge looks at the glowing gem, then back at her
"... if you just gave me that, I could end this cat and mouse bullshit right now!"
Cassia pulls the Gem away "I'm sorry, but that's what messed you up last time!..."
Scourge looks over the city again "Then, what should I do?"
"Kill him. It's the only way to stop Manic for good"
"Yeah? He has both the Jade and Sapphire Medallions! I can't take him with just one Gem!..."
"I have an idea"
Scourge looks at her "Tell me"
"...according to a well connected friend of mine, that fat bastard Simian is looking for Manic and Tails-"
"Yeah, so? They can still easily beat him"
"...and Allman Grey thinks Manic robbed him yesterday, not you. They said he's sending some hit squad after him"
"Alright, so he's got his hands full. How is that-"
"Well, Sleet is still looking for you and he has a giant crew looking everywhere... I think, if we can get Manic in the same place as these other gangs, we can rattle the cage enough for them to all go against Manic. We won't even have to do a thing! Just wait til they kill him, then take the Gems and leave for good" Cassia says
"...that actually, isn't a bad plan"
Cassia smiles and kisses Scourge "Just let me do all the thinking from now on, and we'll be alright, babe"
"Yes, ma'am"
With a solid plan ready to execute in the morning, Scourge picks his girlfriend up, takes her back inside his suite and slams the balcony door closed for the night.