Chapter 10: Manic's Best Case Scenario
Scourge leans against a window in the backseat of Stone's car, grasping his bloody, broken hand to try and relieve the pain.
His friend looks in the rear-view mirror as they pass a bus terminal
"How ya feelin', bro?"
"How the fuck do ya think? My hand's busted, I lost those god damn Medallions, AND I just got my ass kicked by Sonic's pussy brother! I'm not exactly in a great mood..." Scourge says with annoyance in his voice
"Yeah, so I've noticed" Stone replies "That kid really got you good-"
"Yeah, no SHIT"
"...we're heading out to a meeting. The Chambers wanna talk to you"
Scourge looks up at him "You don't think they're gonna clip me, do ya? Hey, I haven't done nothing those old bastards haven't done 10 times over, themselves! I still got their money, Stone!..."
"I think that might be the only thing saves us, boss. They didn't seem happy about the mess in Metropolis, or the one up in Casino Night Zone"
"That Allman Grey shit? Ah, that's not even THAT bad!... These old timers' can be bought, Stone, and I definitely have the cash"
"Yeah, I know. I just wanna get this over and done with" Stone says
"Hey, I told ya, if you ride with me, I'll take care of you, bro. I had the whole city! And I can get it again once I straighten this out. Alright?" Scourge asks
Stone drives into a gated community and sighs
"...Yeah"
With only the car's headlights to guide them, Stone slowly drives along the small roads to the Chambers' property. Trees and bushes are so close to the roads that branches scrape along the sides of the black car.
They pull into a small driveway and exit the vehicle to find a doorman guiding them to the front entrance of the property.
"Miss You" by The Rolling Stones plays over a radio as Stone and Scourge enter the front hallway.
Other members of The Chambers are present, some with their wives or girlfriends, and older family members. It's a very causal event at the property, running into the early hours of the morning.
The evil hedgehog gets curious glances from the guests, everyone is dressed formally while his leather jacket is ripped and blue jeans are blood-stained.
Scourge ignores them and checks his phone for the time
1:06 AM
"Gentlemen" An old man greets "The party we're hosting is running later than expected, but luckily we've got enough booze to last the night. Would you like a glass?"
"Heh, don't gotta ask me twice" Scourge says as he takes a tall glass of wine from The Host
Stone takes his glass and nods, then all three gangsters drink.
"...it's not ideal to discuss business in front of non-members, so how about we go somewhere more private, gentlemen"
As the alcohol flows through his system, Scourge's pain slowly goes away and his head is spinning once more. He relaxes himself and follows The Host through the large interior. They reach a metal door that can only be unlocked by a fingerprint scanner.
The old man presses his left hand on the machine and the large door opens
"Man, I wish they had these things back in my day. Would'a made it a lot tougher for the cops to get our stashes... (laughs) my brother would've probably hid-out in one of these for the rest of his days. He was funny like that"
Scourge and Stone laugh and agree with the host, clearly trying to stay on the old man's good side.
The trio walk down a metal staircase that is illuminated by wall-mounted lamps that go down along the side wall. They reach the basement and The Host walks over to a control switch to light up the rest of the long room.
"I used to let a band come and practice in this space. Y'know, 'cause it's soundproof down here"
The Host flips the switch and about 20 men are revealed all around the basement
Stone smashes his glass over the back of Scourge's head and he hits the floor in pain
"Agh! The Fuck?!"
The Host looks down at Scourge "I think you know why you're in this situation, kid. You fucked up too many times and there's only so much we can tolerate"
"Wait - WAIT! I still have your money! You don't have to do this, I'll send it all back! Just - DON'T FUCKING KILL ME!"
The Host smirks "My friends already wired the money from your account, so you don't have shit to your name... kid, this is the only way little shitheads like you will learn"
The Host steps away as his goons circle Scourge.
Stone is handed a baseball bat and he makes eye contact with his former boss for the last time, then takes a swing.
Down at the police station, Manic and Tails sit in two different interrogation rooms, both eating the first actual meals they've had in the past 2 days. After receiving medical attention, the duo wear lots of bandages around their arms, legs and heads, with Manic having gauze wrapped around his ear where his piercing used to be.
Agent Warwick enters Manic's room first, holding a couple of beige file folders.
"I knew M was right about you. That you'd be a pain in the ass instead of actually helping. That's what ignorant assholes like you do" Warwick starts off
Manic stops eating "Who? M? OH, that piece of shit excuse for a cop who had a hard-on for me and my friends? I remember him, now! Yeah, how is he? Doing okay, I hope"
"He was shot dead after evidence of corruption became public..."
"Always good to hear about our fine police officers. So, you're defending a bent cop, huh. Well, every pig needs to stick together, I guess"
"We're not here to talk about cops" Warwick opens a file folder "It's these things I'm interested in"
He throws a picture of Manic's Jade, Crystal and Sapphire Medallions on the table
"What about 'em?" The green hedgehog asks
"Since you've had these around, there's been fatalities in major cities and entire ZONES. Do you understand? You are single handedly decreasing the population at high rates with those Gems!"
"Yeah, it's JUST me killing people? Fuck you, man! I've had these things stolen from me 3 times, I haven't killed ANYONE!"
"But YOU brought them in. You were jealous that Sonic had his speed and you had nothing, so you fucked around with the Medallions 'til you got superpowers or whatever that green shit is!... Manic, do you even know what you've done?"
"Yeah, I've helped stop some of the world's craziest assholes from taking Robotnik's place! Me! Not Sonic, not the cops, certainly not the government. This place is a whole lot safer because of me and my friends!"
Warwick pushes the folders aside and takes a deep breath "...Knuckles thought the same thing-"
"Yeah and you threw him in prison for saving the lives you entitled pricks couldn't, or just wouldn't. You're not doing that to us, pig" Manic says with an edge in his voice
The G.U.N agent opens the second folder and places a few folders in front of Manic
"...these are the refugees from Genocide City. A SWAT team intercepted them in a compound owned by Scourge" Warwick says "I believe you've met miss Cee"
"You let her go right now, I ain't playing around motherfucker, let her GO! She didn't do a god damn thing!" Manic shouts
"That's the problem-"
Manic tries to lunge at him but his wrists are handcuffed to the metal table
"...she's not a citizen, no health or dental records, hell, she doesn't even have a birth certificate. None of them do. Which would make them illegal aliens in this Zone. To this planet, really, seeing as no one can prove where the hell these folks were born"
Manic scoffs at this information and sits back down
"...now, they could be afforded citizenship by the government fairly easily, and without issue... or they could end up in supervised shelters, many of which are located in ghetto territories, forced to wait years and years for approval to even use the washroom in this Zone without going to jail"
"Fuckin' asshole..."
"Aye, these are the rules, kid. And right now, I'm giving you a chance to decide what happens to these refugees. You want Cee to be free? Or do you want her walkin' on eggshells for the rest of her life?"
"What do you want from me? You've already got my Gems! What, you want my life, next?!" Manic asks angrily
"...I want you vigilantes off the streets. I dont wanna clean up the bodies you leave behind for the rest of my life, or keep having to tell worried parents their kid isn't ever coming home again. I want you sacks of shit gone forever, that's what I want"
Warwick slides a waiver across the table and tosses a pen over
"...before I sign anything, I wanna make a phone call"
The G.U.N agent lets out an annoyed groan and leaves the interrogation room.
Manic finishes up his meal and another officer gives him a cellphone to use
Warwick grabs a separate waiver and enters the interrogation room Tails is held in
"...your buddy likes to make things a lot harder than they need to be. How about you, huh? Gonna cooperate?"
Tails clears his throat "If memory serves me right, the law constitutes that I have the right to an attorney, yes?"
Warwick grudgingly nods his head
"Then I would like to request one before I say anything else to you, agent Warwick"
The agent throws the waiver away and walks back out the door just as fast as he came in.
Unfortunately for Scourge, his punishment is far more severe than anyone else's in his crew
The evil hedgehog's beating has been drawn out for the last half hour, as requested by The Host.
By now, Scourge's face is covered in massive bruises and plenty of blood, while his entire body is racked in pain after being bashed by the metal baseball bats.
The goons leave Scourge to bleed out and moan in pain while The Host stands over him
"Tough little shit, I gotta say. Punks like him usually flatline by now" The Old Man says as he turns around "You did good, Stone"
"I ain't about to cross The Chambers like this dumb fuck did"
"That's right. You wanna be a maniac, this is what happens"
The Host takes a big drink of his wine, swishes it around his mouth and spits it in Scourge's face
"...I want you to leave him somewhere everyone will see him. A good old fashioned message in blood. Preferably in a dumpster, so that everyone understands he's trash, and NOT one of us"
"Yes, sir"
The Old Man leaves his men to deal with Scourge, and tends to his party.
After wrapping Scourge in a large plastic bag, Stone and 2 other goons carry the evil hedgehog out the back door and into the trunk of Stone's car. He shakes hands with the goons and they head back inside the property, while Stone jumps in the drivers' seat. He leaves the gated community and carefully drives back into town.
He pulls into an alleyway, pulls his former boss out of the trunk and carries him down the back alley.
Scourge is helpless as Stone dumps him inside a large dumpster and pulls out a pistol.
Scourge dry heaves as he speaks
"...st-Stone, you ...piece of shit"
"You brought this on yourself"
"Bullshit, I did EVERYTHING for those cocksuckers! Everything!... and you're just gonna (cough) kiss their ass for the rest of your life, huh?..."
"There are rules for a reason. You knew that and broke 'em, anyway. Nothing I can do for you, now"
"I saved your life"
"I guess you should've left me, then. Oh well"
The Enforcer leans into the dumpster and fires 4 bullets into Scourge's torso.
Stone closes the lid and leaves his former boss to bleed out.
He disappears just as fast as he got here.
Back at the police station, Manic's sister Sonia has arrived and she's not alone. She's brought her lawyer, Mr. Pierce, to defend her brother and Tails.
Pierce reads over the waiver Warwick gave the duo and he is visibly upset
"Your plan is to blackmail my clients by using these INNOCENT refugees' lives as some kind of bait? I cannot believe how absurd your 'deal' is, agent Warwick!" The Lawyer exclaims
"Keep your panties on, hot shot. The refugees were only a desperation measure" Warwick says
"Against what? My brother and his friend aren't murderers!" Sonia shouts
"With those Medallions, the government has officially classified Manic, and ANY other wielders, as a terrorist threat. So yeah, he's a bad guy in my eyes"
"That is insane, when was this made official?"
Warwick crosses his arms "At the last internal affairs meeting. Which would mean that I have clearance to treat your baby brother as a piece of shit waste of space... hope you understood all that"
"That's not right and you KNOW IT!"
Manic puts his hand on Sonia's shoulder "Hey, it's alright.. this guy really thinks he's top shit and we can't do a thing to him... Warwick! I want to negotiate a new deal"
"...go on"
"Being that I am clearly the biggest threat on the planet at this very moment, according to you.. my friend Tails wouldn't be as big of a bust as I would be. So how about this: you let him and Cee walk away and then you can throw me in the deepest, darkest hole you can find. Alright? I'll take whatever sentence you want, you can keep the Medallions and that'll be the end of me"
Sonia and Tails look at him "Manic-"
"It's alright - I got this"
It takes Warwick 10 seconds to make up his mind "...I'll take that deal - No Tricks"
Manic grins "No, of course not. You got me, big man. Now let's get this shit going"
After almost another hour of processing and finalizing Manic's deal, Tails, Sonia and Pierce leave the Metropolis Police station and walk free. They step inside Sonia's white limousine and are driven to the refugee camp Cee is staying at.
The teenage fox exits the vehicle, passes through inspection and makes eye contact with the blonde hedgehog from Genocide City.
"Tails!" Cee shouts as she races over to him
"Hey, Cee"
As she gets closer and wraps her arms around the fox, the first thing she notices are his black eyes and bruises
"Tails, you're-"
"I'm okay. Me and Manic beat Scourge, and Simian won't ever bother you again... you're finally free to do whatever you want"
Her eyes widen "What?"
Tails smiles "Yep. Manic's sister Sonia is going to personally fund everyone here and help you get started, legally"
They both look back at the pink hedgehog and she waves to them
"Tails, this is - I don't know what to say"
"Don't say anything. Everything is gonna be okay"
The big smile slowly drops from Cee's face "...what about Manic?"
The Fox looks at the ground "He uh, he gave himself up as part of a deal... they said he might not ever get out of prison..."
"No-"
"I know. But he made that deal, himself... one of the last things he told me was that he wanted to finally take responsibility, so he's going away"
Cee looks into Tails' eyes "And what about you? Where are you going?"
The Fox quietly chuckles "...Manic also told me to go back to school. Stay out of this crazy Superhero life... I guess he's right, nothing good ever comes of it. So, I'm going back to my hometown and getting enrolled in class, again..."
Tails pulls out a piece of paper, writes his phone number on it and gives it to Cee
"...you can reach me at this number. Anytime, Cee. I'll always be there"
The blonde hedgehog kisses Tails on the cheek and hugs him one last time.
With this, the fox waves goodbye as he leaves the campground and heads into the city.
As Tails walks through the suburbs of downtown Metropolis, he hears a male voice call his name in the distance
"What the - is that you, Bark?" The Fox asks
The Polar Bear catches up "Tha's right, them cops let me out 'bout half-hour ago! ...said I can thank Manic for the early release. Y'know where the buggar's at?"
Tails shakes his head "This'll be the second time I tell this story-"
"Ah, that's a'right, I got time. Aye, is it cool if I tag along with ya? I kinda lost credibility in this city and can't stay 'ere"
"Sure, I don't mind... I'm heading to the bus terminal. Catching the next ride back to Green Hill"
"Oi, I ain't been down there in YEARS"
The Fox and Polar Bear reach the terminal, buy their tickets and wait on the platform for the bus to arrive.
As Tails listens to Bark's numerous criminal underworld stories, he hears a slight painful groan but can't find where it is.
"Hold that thought" Tails says
"What it is?" Bark asks
The Fox sniffs around and gets the scent of fresh blood, so he follows it. He walks around the corner from the terminal and down a back alley while Bark stays close behind
Tails stops in front of a green dumpster and covers his nose, so Bark opens the lid up, revealing a dying Scourge inside
Tails stands on a trash can and looks in "...whoa"
Scourge coughs up blood "Y-yeah, I know... I'm bleeding out and you get to watch me die (Cough) ...I still beat your ass, P-Prower... I still won"
The two don't say a word to each other and they don't break eye contact.
Bark shuts the lid on the dumpster and looks at Tails
"C'mon, man. There's nothing that can be done for him at this point. Let's go"
The Fox and Polar Bear leave the back alley and return to the bus terminal.
Scourge's voice is muffled as he curses Manic, Tails and The Chambers.
His voice soon gets quiet and Tails knows Scourge has passed.
Tails jumps on the bus first and looks out the back window as an ambulance arrives and paramedics pull the Evil Hedgehog's lifeless body out of the dumpster to attempt to revive him.
SEVERAL MONTHS LATER
Tails sits in his English class after school and waits for his reach to finish reading his essay. The older hedgehog sits at his desk at the front of the class, wiping sweat from his forehead and adjusting his glasses, while Tails looks out a window at all the other students leaving for the weekend.
Finally the teacher speaks "...all of this is based on a true story?"
"Well, let's say inspired-"
"I think 'true story' is better, Miles. Nobody wants to read about something 'inspired by a true story'... you must've had one hell of a trip, Mr. Prower. The events seem so surreal. I think this is your best work, yet"
"Oh. Thanks, Mr. Smith"
"This 'Underground' you talk about is a very interesting place. Almost makes you want to live there... it's a good thing you can separate fantasy from reality. You should think about becoming a journalist in the future, Miles. This is great stuff"
And with that, Tails is dismissed from class. He doesn't pay much attention to Mr. Smith's words
He might not believe a place like this exists, but Tails has been there, and knows everything about it.
The Fox gets back to his house and lays down on a black leather couch.
Amy left with Silver months ago to find Sonic, Cream still won't talk to him, and Knuckles, Vector, Espio and Manic are all in prison, probably for the rest of their lives. Tails is all alone once again.
Then his phone rings
UNKNOWN NUMBER
"Probably Cee using someone else's number, again" Tails says to himself as he answers "Hello?"
"What's up, T"
Tails quickly sits up "MANIC?!"
"Hehe, that's right, bro"
"Dude, they let you out?"
"Shit no, T, I let MYSELF out. You think I was actually gonna sit in that shit hole for the rest of my life? Nah, I don't roll that way... so what's new"
TRICKED
Prison Island Medical Informary
Later That Day
The Green Hedgehog lies on a gurney with arms and legs strapped to the rails to prevent him from moving.
A male nurse wheels the gurney through the bright halls of the prison infirmary, many rooms are filled with injured convicts and even more guards supervising them.
However, Scourge is being taken to the Intensive Care Unit, it seems that months of surgeries and therapy aren't helping him recover.
The evil hedgehog grips the rails tightly with his swollen and scarred fingers as he's left in a large room with bright green walls. He looks around and sees only one bed in this room is occupied, but he can't see who's here.
Ever since he robbed The Chambers AND survived their punishment, Scourge knows he's been marked for death.
This sudden realization makes his heart race faster when the convict in the bed sits up
"Never thought I'd see you again"
Scourge is slow to tilt his head towards the convict, and starts breathing heavily when he makes eye contact with Sleuth Dogg
"...Heh, y'know, I had my boy Victor shank me just so I could get in ICU"
"Because you knew I'd be here? How fuckin' clever" Scourge says sarcastically
"Nah, it's just common sense. In here, anyway. 25 to life ain't no easy ride, Slimeball"
"...is this the part where you threaten me? Or am I supposed to guess just what the FUCK you want with me?"
Dogg stands up and makes his way to Scourge's gurney, grasping his stab wound as he limps over.
Scourge frantically tries to get free from the straps as he feels the razor sharp tip of a shank touch his already scarred chest.
"Scares ya, doesn't it? You wouldn't be able to do a damn thing in this situation. That's how helpless you'd be if I wanted you dead, regardless if it was in here or out on the streets. And that ain't no threat, boy"
"O-KAY... I get it... so, what do you want?" Scourge asks
"I need men to help get me outta this place-"
"I don't know if you noticed, but I can't fucking move!"
"I don't need you to move. I need you to do the only thing you're good at: running that big mouth and drawing attention to yourself"
"Well, that's hurtful, I feel like I'm truly good at other things"
Dogg leans against the wall "Can I count on you or what. I don't need to watch over scrubs"
"Maybe you've been inside for too long but I OWNED Metropolis! I made millions in that city! I am not a scrub!"
"Yeah, you're a green shitbag strapped to a gurney in a prison hospital, currently with almost EVERYONE in this building who wants to kill you. I'm not saying I wanna be best friends, but I can protect you. But only if you help me. And not just in here"
Scourge thinks about this statement
"The Chambers"
Dogg nods "They burned me the same way they got you, and I'm pretty fuckin' sick of hearing about these old pricks"
Scourge nods in agreement
"...this isn't going to be like The Destructix, either. You're not in charge, asshole"
"It can't ever be the same as it was back then, Dogg. Fiona left me, I'm damn-near crippled, and you need viagra just to operate, hehehe"
Dogg gives Scourge a warning slash with the blade and walks back to his bed on the other side of the room.
"You'd be wise to keep your mouth shut until I tell you, shit face. The Cons in here don't take back-talk real well" Dogg says as he hides his shank "And neither do I"
"...I missed ya too, you big brown steroid popping bastard. Can't wait to work together again"
"I'm already regretting this..."
TO BE CONCLUDED