Tails and Cosmo were seated in the backseat of a G.H.P.D. vehicle as Ash drove it with Mina riding shotgun. The two decided to head to Jade Mountain, and they were soon approaching their desired destination. It didn't take long for Ash to find a parking space, and he cut the engine, waiting for the others to leave the car before getting out himself, locking the vehicle behind him.

Tails took a whiff of the air. "Ah... got to love Jade Mountain."

"For a relatively new place, it's doing really well," said Mina. "The whole Nack situation aside, of course."

Tails smiled as they began their walk to the restaurant. "So, how long have you and Ash been together?"

"A couple of years," said Ash. "But we only got to start dating more just recently."

"How come?"

"Their work in different parts of the department," Cosmo answered the yellow fox as they reached Jade Mountain. "Because of Mina being a secretary, she has more free time, as do I. But for Ash, he's a much harder worker, having to put together his presentations mostly on his own."

"Up until recently," Ash smiled. "With the new graduates from the academy, a lot of those have been super helpful with the presentations. It took a couple of days, but they soon got the hang of things pretty quickly, and I don't put in as much work as I used to, but I still oversee things."

Tails nodded and opened the door, letting the others into the restaurant before him. He received a playful tap on his nose from Cosmo, causing him to blush a bit before closing the door behind him and joining them on the table.

"I'll get the order in," said Ash. "What's everyone having?"

"Small ribs and fries," said Tails.

"Make that a double," Cosmo replied. "But with some orange juice."

"And I'll have some medium ribs and fries to share with you," Mina said. "That way, whatever we don't finish, we can just reheat when we get back home."

"Or back to the office?" Cosmo smirked.

"They're basically the same thing," Ash chuckled. "We really should focus more on our own place." He then turned to go to the front desk, focusing on getting the order in.

"Speaking of living conditions, how's the new base, Tails?" Mina asked.

"Uh, it's pretty good," Tails said. "Could do with more bedrooms since we only seem to have about eight, but it's a huge place and it's easy to get around."

"I helped with some of the design," Mina smiled. "So did Cosmo."

"Actually, there's a little bit of a touch from all of us," the plant girl smiled. "Even Ash managed to help with his crazy schedule."

Tails nodded and chuckled. "I just kinda wish that there was something more that me and the guys could do to make it feel more like home, you know? I mean, I love it as it is, and you guys and the rest of the department did a great job, but it's lacking that special element."

"Maybe because you guys still have your own places away from the base?" asked Mina.

Tails shrugged. "Probably. But my parents are nice enough, so they'd be fine with me moving out to the base full-time. I think that they did their letting go when I went to the academy, and subsequently the department."

Cosmo giggled. "If they don't fully let go when you move to the base, then I don't know what will."

"Maybe telling them that I have a girlfriend?" Tails suggested.

Cosmo blushed. "You'd tell them?" She then paused. "Wait... you haven't told them?"

The yellow fox looked a bit sheepish, but shook his head and spoke. "I was going to, but things have been super busy. Hell, I haven't had much change to tell them about the new base and such."

"What about your accident?" asked Mina.

"They were told immediately by G.H.P.D. anyway, so I didn't have to really say anything," Tails said. "I just think that they're glad that I'm still alive."

"We all are," Cosmo smiled, gently stroking her hand along Tails' own hand.

The three then looked to the direction of the desk as Ash called them, bringing the food in its tray. He set it down and sat next to Mina before they all began sorting the grub out into what was whose.

Mina then saw a drink of coke, growing confused. She grew even more confused as Ash handed it over to her. "Um... I didn't ask for one."

"Oh, it was free," her boyfriend replied. "Apparently, there's this new thing that they're trying out for the shop; every three boxes of ribs that you buy, regardless of size, you get a free drink thrown in."

"Huh," Tails said. "That's a pretty good policy."

"So, what were you guys talking about before I came back and ruined everything?" Ash smirked, getting some laughs from the others.

"Just going over Tails' family and his thoughts on the new place," said Cosmo, answering the male mongoose's question.

"It's still a bit weird, because it wasn't that long ago that I was an actual cop," Tails said. "It's strange being a freelancer; we work for whoever we want, but in the worst case scenario, we're just backup. It'd be better if we could just set our own stuff up. It's odd being called a freelance agent and feeling like you're on parole for one dumb mistake..."

"Do you regret doing it?" Cosmo asked Tails.

The yellow fox shook his head. "I used to. I mean, Sonic did give me and the others a chance to back out, because he was willing to take all that blame for us. But we stuck with him, and we got in trouble for it." He then gave a chuckle. "So, I guess it was kinda worth it in the end."

"I dunno," said Ash. "I feel like the freelancers thing should be more of a form of initiation."

"Wouldn't that get confusing?" Mina asked. "I mean, Tails and the others are based in Green Hill, but they've gone to a fair few different places to help out. How would that work as initiation?"

"Hmm... I worded that wrong," the male mongoose admitted with a sheepish chuckle. "What I meant was, give something like that to rookies to try and get used to it. That way, it'll let them figure out if they want to be a full-time cop and handle their own stuff whilst sticking to one jurisdiction, or become a free agent and be able to help anywhere that they want, but they can't run their own ship."

"Yeah, that one was definitely worded better," Tails smiled. "I see what you mean, though. It's not a bad idea, but wouldn't it seem like the academy training might kind of go to waste?"

"Well, without meaning to sound too harsh, that didn't stop you guys from trying," Mina shrugged.

"Yeah, and look where it got us," Tails shook his head.

"Come on, she said that she didn't want to sound too harsh," Cosmo said. "She didn't really succeed, but."

The yellow fox chuckled. "I get what she meant. Yeah, we gave it a shot. But that doesn't mean that others who pull it off will be as fortunate as us. I mean, we're only where we are because we're still rookies and it was our first offence. On our first day. We got super damn lucky that the judge gave us a pass."

"Yeah, especially from Ryker," said Mina. "The dude is not known for his fairness as a judge. Then again, as a judge, he does need to remain as impartial as he can."

"Unfortunately, he didn't need more than the accounts going into your court date," Ash added. "They were all solid, and all true."

"Okay, we're on a double date here," Tails said, breaking the flow. "I'd like to spend time with my pretty lady and not focus on when me and my friends screwed up."

Cosmo giggled. "They have a point. And, to be honest, it did make things go fairly quickly. You got off easy."

"It's weird to say that," Tails said. "Ryker seemed like such a nice guy. I guess that doesn't change that he can be kind of harsh. But he's just doing his job, so I get it."

"There's one thing that's been bugging me about this whole freelance thing," said Mina.

"What'd that be?" asked Cosmo.

"Well, it's about when you guys asked if you'd technically be bounty hunters and the judge basically gave you the vague answer of maybe," said Mina. "I think he might have skipped a step."

"What do you mean?" asked Tails.

"Well, bounty hunters are usually allowed out on their own," Mina said. "I think that Ryker might have blurred the lines a bit for you and the others."

Tails sighed and sat back, sagging a bit. "That kinda sucks, to be honest."

Before the others could answer, the door opened, catching their attention. Tails recognised the new arrival instantly as Amy Rose. She wore a red tank top, blue jeans, and drown pumps, slinging her bag over her arm as she waved.

"Hi!" she smiled, jogging over.

"Amy?" Tails said, smiling. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I the kids had a half day today at school," Amy smiled back. "Me and the other teachers all got to leave early."

"That's cool," Tails said, then noticing the confusion of the other people with him. "Oh, this is Amy Rose. We saved her and some others on our first night as cops. Amy, this is Mina, Ash, and Cosmo."

"Hi," Amy smiled, shaking their hands. "Could I sit with you guys?"

"Sure thing," they said. Ash and Mina scooted over as Amy got a chair, bringing it over to sit with them. "So, what brings you guys here?"

"Lunch break," Mina said somewhat drily. "Same for you?"

"Yeah, minus the part about it being a break," the pink hedgehog shrugged. "It's just lunch for me, then I'm going home and falling into couch potato mode." She then turned to see Cosmo. "Ah, you must be the girl that I've been told about."

"Who told you about me?" Cosmo said.

"Sonic did," Amy giggled. "He mentioned about you being Tails' girlfriend."

"Aw..." the two mongooses sang together.

"Oh, give it a rest," Tails chuckled. "Yeah, Cosmo is... well, she's my girlfriend."

The plant girl nodded and blushed a bit. "I-I am."

Amy giggled more. "You guys are also as adorable together as Sonic mentioned you'd be."

"Yeah, I'd have to agree," Ash threw in. "You guys are cute together."

Tails and Cosmo replied by cuddling close and blushing more, and Amy smiled before losing said smile. "Hey, where are the other guys?"

"Oh, they went back to their new base to grab lunch," said Tails. "If you want, I'll take you up there when we're all done."

"Sure thing," Amy nodded. "Is Cosmo going to come with?"

"I would," Cosmo said, "but I've got to get back to work after this. I still actually work for the force, you know."

"Ah, that makes sense," Amy nodded. "So, what do you guys all do?"

"Well, me and Cosmo are secretaries, in a manner of speaking," said Mina. "I prefer that we be called entrance specialists."

"That's right," Cosmo smiled. "We take care of the ID cards, codes, and on very rare occasions to we actually bring food to people. Most of the cops usually get food from vending machines or drive up here to eat."

"What about you?" Amy said, turning to Ash.

"Oh, I work on the presentations," said Ash. "Basically, I edit together videos and pictures for the main briefing room. I put together the inaugural one for Tails and his gang on their first day at the department, actually."

"That's pretty cool," Amy smiled. "Do you have a fancy name for your job?"

Ash shook his head and chuckled. "I know that my job is fancy enough. Besides, entrance specialists makes Mina and Cosmo sound like thieves."

"We are ninjas, pretty much," Cosmo shrugged, earning some laughter.

"Come on," said Tails. "Let's focus on eating."

They all did, and after more conversation and laughter, they were soon done eating. Amy offered to take the now empty containers of food away and put them in the bin whilst the others got up and readied themselves to head back out.

"Should I get something on the way to the base?" Amy asked.

"Eh, I dunno," Tails said. "I think that the guys might be feeding themselves. By which I mean, I'm sure as shit not buying them food to bring back."

"That's a bit mean," Cosmo admonished.

"I'm allowed to be a bit mean once in a while," Tails shrugged.

"Oh, I will ask while I remember," said Mina. "What's the plan for getting Amy back to the base?"

"Just drive her there in our car, drop off Amy and Tails, then drive back to the department," Ash shrugged.

"Eh, we can risk being a bit late," Cosmo nodded.

They all packed up their stuff and left the restaurant, waving a kind goodbye to those behind the counter before exiting the restaurant proper and getting into the car, with Ash driving again. He started up the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.

As they were driving away from Jade Mountain and getting ever closer to the freelancers' base, Amy got a brief glance at the police station. "Wow..."

"I know," Mina smiled. "It's pretty impressive, right?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah..." She then turned to Tails and playfully tapped his arm in the form of a slap. "Now, why did you get yourself fired from there?"

"It wasn't on purpose," Tails chuckled. "And besides, you might like our new base a bit better."

The pink hedgehog nodded and remained as silent as everyone else as the drive continued. Soon, they found themselves near the eastern side of the city, and Ash turned the car into a small alleyway.

"How does Ash know where it is?" Amy asked.

"Oh, he helped set up some stuff at the new base," Tails answered. "I'm guessing that Avery showed him where it was."

"You guessed that right," the male mongoose grinned. "I helped with some of the tech stuff, and Mina and Cosmo oversaw the overall look of the place."

"They did a good job too," Tails complimented, getting a kiss on the cheek from Cosmo in reply.

Ash smiled at the contact between the two before continuing his drive down the alleyway. He stopped the car in a good spot and waited for Tails and Amy to leave. But before he could pull the car back out of the alleyway, Cosmo left and quickly ran up to Tails. The two-tailed fox spotted her and caught her in his arms, lifting her for a deep kiss.

"Aw..." Amy beamed happily.

Cosmo and Tails soon broke from their embrace, and the plant girl was the first to speak. "See you... when?"

"Eh, whenever's fine with me," Tails chuckled.

Cosmo smiled and turned to walk away, getting back into the G.H.P.D. car and waving out of the window as it drove off. Tails gave out a dreamy sigh and Amy giggled at him, causing him to turn around and look at her with a blush.

"You two are so damn cute!" she gushed.

"Thank you..." Tails said, shaking his head. "Come on. Let's go meet the others. Well, you've already met them."

"Let's go check out the new place?" Amy suggested. "Or, mostly me. You already know what it looks like."

"We really need to work on that," Tails chuckled. "We still haven't had a chance to brainstorm on a name yet."

"Yeah," Amy said. "Calling you guys freelancers over and over can get a bit annoying."

"We'll come up with something," Tails shrugged. "Let's head inside."

Amy nodded, and the two knocked on the entrance doors. The camera on the side turned to look at them, and a voice spoke in a posh British accent. "Who dares to trespass on castle grounds?"

"Um..." Tails said, clearing his throat to speak back in a similar accent. "It is I, Sir Tails, with fair maiden Amy Rose!"

"We arrived thanks to a four-wheeled chariot," Amy added, playing along. "Sir Tails was kind enough to allow me to come over here and look at this place."

"Sir Tails the Fluffy hath made a good choice!" the voice said, before turning back to his normal accent. "All right, come on in."

Tails and Amy laughed and went inside, and the pink hedgehog got a good look around, letting out an impressed whistle. As she took a look, Sonic appeared from the communications room and held his stomach from laughing.

"You like my British accent?" he asked.

"It wasn't too bad," Tails replied. "I'm just surprised at how well Amy did."

She shrugged. "One of the kids that I teach is British, so I just take what I know from him and crank it up. Too much Game Of Thrones, I think."

"Yeah, I lost interest in that after season 10 happened," Sonic replied. "Damn George R. R. Martin, not releasing enough books to match the quota..."

"Dude was a perfectionist," Tails said.

"And he also looked like Santa Claus," Knuckles said. "But an evil Santa Claus who wrote what was basically Lord Of The Rings gone wild."

"So, what are you guys up to?" asked Amy.

"Oh, we're about to set up some Cards Against Mobius," Knuckles said. "Want to play?"

Amy nodded. "Sure. My sister's got some of those back home, and we play when we can. It's just not as fun with two people, though."

"I could believe that Rosy would like the game," Tails said. "She's... well, she's a nice enough person, but you're definitely the nicer sister."

"Oh, she knows that," Amy said with some insistence. "She's definitely the better player."

"We should bring her around for a session some time," said Sonic, hearing the oven ding. "Awesome! Chilli-dogs are all done!"

"Dinner and a show, huh?" Knuckles smirked as they all walked into the kitchen. "Nice."

"All right, let's get this game on," said Tails, setting up the radio. "We can't do this without some good tunes."

"Can I pick something?" Amy asked as they all sat down.

"Sure."

"Got any While She Sleeps?"

"Only all of their stuff ever," Sonic smiled, setting the food on the kitchen table.

As Tails went to set up the music, Knuckles smirked at Amy. "So, you're pretty, you're kind, you teach a kindergarten class, and you have great taste in music. Were you just forged somewhere specifically for Sonic?"

"Not to mention that she's also a hedgehog," said Shadow. "She's pretty much the female version of Sonic."

"I've got no problem with that," the blue hedgehog replied as Tails returned to sit down. "All right. Let's get this show on the road."

Back in Westopolis...

Nack was being driven ever closer to the park in his new car, anticipating the meeting with his current business associates - Martin included. Nack didn't need to worry about if it was a good idea, but knowing that Martin had never met or dealt with Manuel, Beau, or Lara before did put a slight crimp on his plans.

"Are you not worried about this meeting at all?" one of his henchmen asked.

"Normally, I would be, but I don't really have to be worried yet," Nack said. "Martin will show up in his cop uniform, that's true. It's also true that Manuel pushes guns, Lara sells sex, and Beau moves drugs around. But those three know enough about Westopolis' police force to know that they're now the most altruistic people."

"How do you mean?" asked the other henchman, who was driving.

"What I mean is the fact that it's hard to be an honest cop in a dishonest city," Nack said. "Luckily, Martin is a cop who's honest about the fact that he's dishonest to people that he knows are also dishonest."

"But he doesn't know the dishonest people that he's about to meet."

"He will," Nack responded. "And if he doesn't pick up on their dishonesty right off the bat, then they'll be quick to remind him. Luckily, he's also dishonest, so it should balance out."

"Seems risky," said the driver.

"There's not anything that happens here that isn't risky," Nack reminded. "You'd do well to keep that in mind."

Soon, the car began to slow down as they were approaching the park, with Lara and Beau already waiting there for them, their own vehicles resting near the park. Finding a good spot, the driver got out of the car, walking to the back of it to open the door for Nack.

"Thank you," the purple weasel smiled, walking up to Lara and Beau. "Glad you two could make it."

Lara, wearing a white blouse over a dark green tank top along with a black pencil skirt and brown boots, smiled. "Thank you for inviting us."

"So, what's this about?" asked Beau, wearing a dark brown hoodie over a white t-shirt along with blue jeans and black trainers.

"I'll get to that when Manuel arrives," said Nack.

"I was going to say," said Lara. "When you called us, it sounded rather urgent. It's not a money problem, is it?"

"No, not at all," Nack said. "All of your cash is being handled well, and you're making back even more now, thanks to my donation to help you. I'm glad to see that you put it to good use."

"I did too..." Beau said.

"And yet you still needed help in creating Fokus to sell that," Nack said. "By the way, how is that going?"

"Not too bad," said the snake. "I've gotten my guys to try and synthesise the ingredients, as we have to travel way too fucking far to get the original stuff. Do you know how hard it is to recreate all the stuff put into Fokus? It's not easy, man."

"I know," said Nack. "Plus, I do prefer the original over the synthetic version."

"I really don't want to ask, now do I care," added Lara, looking at Beau, "but how are you testing the synthetic versions?"

"Some of my guys are willingly mixing them without influence from Fokus," Beau said. "There's different chemical reactions, some positive and others... not so much. Hopefully, we can refine it and get it down to a better compound."

"There hasn't been any accidents, have there?" asked Nack.

"Nothing too serious," said Beau. "No overdoses have happened yet. Most of the accidents some from the testing and mixing the drugs together. You'll get the more dangerous stuff which feels more authentic, but will literally blow up in someone's face as the create it. In contrast to that, you have the stuff that's safer to make up and easier to synthesise, but at the same time it's easier to tell that it's synthesised."

"I could swing by and help, if you want," Nack offered.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'll pass," Beau declined. "I'd rather see if I can get a handle on it myself."

Nack nodded, and soon noticed another car driving up over to them. It was a bulky vehicle, and a definite contrast to Nack's sleeker looking car, but it was easy to tell that it belonged to Manuel. Dark red in colour with a shiny finish on it, it pulled around the side, with the bull in question stepping out, this time wearing a yellow tank top, black baggy jeans, and brown boots.

"Sorry I'm late," Manuel said as he approached the others. "My girls were having a bit of trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Beau asked.

"Drug trouble," the bull replied. "They didn't get it from any of your guys, if it helps."

"So, what happened?" Lara asked.

"I caught them with some cocaine," Manuel said. "I know that that shit is commonplace in these parts, but... you know that I'm only doing what I do for them..."

"We know," Nack agreed. "You want your girls to get out of here and go to a better school."

"They deserve a life better than this one," Manuel confirmed.

"I know that you said otherwise," Beau spoke, "but if it was one of my guys who sold your girls the coke, then I'll be sure to have a word with them."

"They got it at school," said Manuel. "Some little prick slipped it into their bags when they weren't looking."

"Eh, don't worry about that kid," Nack said. "Kids at school will do anything to get attention these days."

Manuel nodded. "So, what's this big meeting about?"

"Ah, I can't tell you that," said Nack. "We're waiting on someone else."

"But you said that all that we had to do was wait for Manuel," Beau said. "Manuel is here now."

"I'm aware of that," Nack nodded. "But there's still one element missing." He turned his head as he heard another car. "And here is that very element."

The car itself was a mix of black and brown, and was more banged up and worn looking in contrast to the looks of other cop cars around Mobius. It had a symbol of a raised fist holding a heart, with the initials of W.P.D. written on a plaque underneath it.

"Sorry I'm late, guys," Martin said, stepping out of the vehicle. He wore the standardised Westopolis police uniform, being mostly brown with black accents. The man himself had a Caucasian skin tone, dark hair that was slicked back, and had dull brown eyes.

"What kept you?" Nack asked.

"Well, when you said about coming to the park, you didn't really narrow it down to which one," Martin said. "I live on the north side of the city, which is where my department also happens to be."

"Do they know that you're here?" Nack asked.

"I don't think that they give a shit," Martin shrugged.

"So..." Beau said. "A cop."

"Yes, I'm a cop," Martin nodded. "In case the uniform wasn't a giveaway already."

"Ooh... I like him," Beau chuckled. "So, what are you here for?"

"Nack invited me as part of some plan. If he invited you guys too, then that means that you have some part in the plan."

"You all do," Nack confirmed. "But it's not without risk."

"What do you need us to do?" asked Manuel.

"I need you to go to Green Hill and stage a jailbreak," Nack said.

"What for?"

"Ooh, you're going to love this," Nack smirked. "So, you three remember how I told you about those rookie cops from Green Hill?"

"The ones that you killed with that car crash?" asked Beau. "Although I'm assuming that they're not quite as dead as we first thought."

The purple weasel nodded. "Turns out that they survived. On the bright side, they got fired from their job as cops. On the negative, they are now freelancers."

"That last part's not too bad," said Martin. "Sure, they can go wherever they so choose, but that's only when they get called up for it."

"And nobody's got the common sense to call for any kind of authorities to help in Westopolis," Lara pointed out. "We either take care of ourselves, or we get taken out."

"So, how do we deal with a bunch of freelance cops?" Beau asked. "I mean, I get that they're hunting for you, but they can't come up here on their own unless some huge shit hits an even bigger fan."

"That's exactly what I'm planning on," said Nack. "And it's why I called for all of you, and why I needed Martin here as well."

"Did you set up the Aqua Lake job?" Beau asked.

"I did," the dirty cop confirmed. "Why?"

"I saw that live on the news," the Southern snake smiled. "Can't believe that you knew guys that were willing to completely destroy themselves just for a trap."

"You can thank Brookes for that one," said Martin. "He's a guy I've known for a while now, and as squeaky clean as he likes to think that he is, not even Aqua Lake is a safe place."

"Still," Manuel said, "setting up three big explosions on an island city? Not too shabby."

"As much as I appreciate the praise," said Nack, "we really should focus here."

"Ah, right," Lara said. "You came up with the plan in the first place?"

"He did," Martin confirmed. "Told me about it the other day. It took a little while for me to sort things with Brookes, but it paid off, so it was worth the wait."

"Anyway," Nack said, clearing his throat, "I know that I shouldn't be focused on a small group of cops, but they become a real thorn in one's side when you can't even kill them properly."

"Maybe try not to rely on drunk ass-holes and a car crash?" Beau suggested.

"I was on the run and wasn't in Green Hill that long," Nack said. "It was the best that I could come up with."

"You're lucky that they used to be cops," Martin said. "Then again, I wouldn't blame them for not wanting to work with Westopolis any more."

"They quit?" asked Beau.

"Yeah," Martin confirmed. "When you're no longer a cop, you can go wherever you want, but without having to be called up there."

"They were an extra insurance policy when I went to Green Hill," Nack said. "I knew that they weren't competent enough to handle the more sophisticated jobs, like these two," he finished, hooking his thumbs to point at his henchmen.

"Do they even have names?" asked Manuel.

"They do," said Nack. "But I won't tell you what they are, as that isn't vital information."

"Careful," said Beau. "I might start to develop trust issues."

"Trust issues? In Westopolis?" Lara chuckled. "I'd be surprised if you didn't have those already."

Nack smirked, but then shook his head. "Not that I'm not enjoying this, but we really should focus on the task at hand."

"Ah, right. The plan," said Martin. "The plan to go to Green Hill and stage a prison break."

"How do we do that, exactly?" Manuel asked.

The purple weasel smiled. "You're looking at the motherfucking god of breaking out of jail. I know how that system works. It's all a matter of timing."

"So, what do we do?" asked Beau.

"You, my slithery companion, are a key part of this," Nack said. "In fact, all of you will be able to get away with going to Green Hill, but myself and my henchmen won't be able to go, considering the fact that we ran all of the way out here to get away from there." He then walked over, gathering the others around him. "I need all of you to play a role in it. Lara, you and Manuel are going to play a couple going on vacation there."

"I'll get some fake IDs set up for you," Martin added. "Your names are the same, since they're not in any major criminal database, but you're both from the lovely and peaceful Star Light City."

"See?" Nack smiled. "And you guys all doubted me bringing in a dirty cop."

"Every dirty cop has at least one clean spot," Beau spat.

"What happened to you liking me earlier?" Martin grinned.

"The more that you talk, the more that feeling dwindles," the snake said.

"Whoa, gentlemen," Nack said, calming the two down and getting between them. "I've said before that I don't want any infighting during a deal."

"A deal?" asked Lara. "If this is supposed to be a deal, then where's our money?"

"You'll get it transferred into your accounts," Nack said, turning to Martin. "All of you will."

"So, where does Beau fit into this?" asked Manuel.

"You ever see those homeless drug addicts on street corners?" Nack asked.

"I pretty much live in the hotbed of that, so... yeah," Beau nodded. "I'm familiar with them."

"Then you know your role already," Nack said.

"Kind of like the first day that he found you," Lara chuckled.

"If y'all are expecting me to wait on some street corner whilst wearing a blanket and begging for a handout, then you'd better ask one of my boys to do it," Beau said. "I'm above that."

"You're really not," said Manuel.

"You're supposed to be the nice one," said the snake.

"And if you want to keep your position," Nack spoke, "then you'll do everything that I ask of you. Do you want your payday or not?"

"All right," Beau said. "But... where does that leave the cop?"

"I've got some forged police uniforms to go to other places," said Martin. "I can just introduce myself as a rookie and come along to help. The best thing about a prison transfer is that it's not usually something major, so I could go to Green Hill as a cop from, say, Aqua Lake, and none of them would bat an eyelid."

"What do we do if we manage to break them out?" asked Manuel.

"We use them to help ship our Fokus across the seas," said Nack. "There's been some halted activity lately at one of our harbours, so we need to expand and push more out."

"We can't rush it, though," Beau said. "No point in pushing too much of something if the person who makes that something doesn't have enough to make it."

"I'll get you the ingredients," said Nack. "Double, actually. If the plan works."

"What about my hardware?" asked Manuel.

"Oh, you're looking to upgrade?" asked Martin.

"Just a little bit," nodded Manuel. "Enough to keep me afloat, at least."

Nack nodded. "Anything for your girls."

The bull smiled a bit. "Thank you."

"Speaking of girls," the purple weasel said, "how are things for you, Lara?"

"Not too bad," said the tigress. "I do need more things related to protection. I don't want things to get spread, be they diseases or rumours. And with my new girls, a lot more people have been paying me more, but also have been having unprotected sex a lot more due to that. I don't want my girls or my clients catching anything bad."

"I'll get you what you need," said Nack. "I might need to reach out to other cities somehow... there's not really a lot of great options for protection in Westopolis."

"I appreciate it," said Lara with a smile.

"Was that the important thing that you wanted to tell me about?" asked Nack.

"Actually, I'd prefer to tell you that in private," Lara said. "Tomorrow, though. It's getting late, and it's nothing that can't wait for one more day."

"Are you sure?"

Lara nodded. "I'm sure."

Nack nodded back. "I'll get there as early as I can to help."

"So, are there any other steps for mine and Lara's role in the plan?" Manuel asked.

"Ah, yes," said Nack. "During the transfer process, whilst the prisoners are still in the vehicle, you are to fake getting in an accident. When the cops take the bait, you keep them distracted."

"What if they catch on?" Martin asked.

"I'm glad that you asked, because you're the fail-safe," Nack answered. "Basically, I need you to get some weapons through to those being transferred across Green Hill. I'll see if my guys can get you a double-layered trunk so that the police won't suspect anything at first glance."

"What about me?" Beau asked. "What do I do?"

"Well, your job is to hand-deliver some Fokus to the escapees," Nack said. "You will have a weapon on you, which you'll keep it concealed underneath that blanket that you mentioned earlier."

"You're just lucky that I still have it," Beau smirked.

"All right, so we all have our parts," said Martin. "Mine could be harder to play..."

"We also need a good way to sneak Beau in," said Lara.

"He'll hitch a ride with you two," said Nack. "In the trunk. Double-layered."

"That's a pretty big order," said Beau.

"Eh, my guys will get to work on it," said Nack. "It's nothing that a few stolen car parts won't fix."

"It's also a long drive from here to Green Hill," said Lara. "Are we sure that Beau won't suffocate?"

"Lady, I've done a lot of drugs in my life," Beau said. "My lungs and internal system have built up an immunity to any kind of suffocation. A long car trip won't be too bad."

The purple weasel chuckled. "All right, that settles it," he said. "Remember, it happens in a few days. Get yourselves sorted out by then, make sure that your schedules are clear, and try to stick to the plan."

"Will do," said Martin.

Nack nodded, turning to the other three. "You guys can sustain yourselves for just a few more days, right?"

"I've got enough Fokus to keep my guys going," Beau nodded. "I'll be good for a bit."

"Same here," Lara said. "No immediate danger to any of my girls thus far."

"And those new guns don't need to be rushed," said Manuel. "I'm a patient guy. My men can wait a bit longer to fight."

"Oh, that reminds me," Beau said, "I owe you about 20 for that last fight."

"Oh, yeah," Manuel smiled, remembering. "Your dude lost." He then turned to Lara. "Sorry about the other night with one of your girls."

"Don't be," Lara smiled. "She enjoyed herself."

Nack chuckled. "It's nice to see that you're all getting along." He then reached his hand out. "To finish the deal, we may as well end it on a good note."

The others nodded, all taking turns to shake the weasel's hand. Martin was the last, and waved the others off as he went to his car, driving back to his department. The others followed suit, bidding their goodbyes to their employer and heading into their own vehicles, driving back to their own places.

"All right," Nack said, walking with his henchmen back to their car. "I need a rush order on those car parts. We can work on sprucing up the rest of them at a different time."

"Will do," said one of his henchmen.

"Music, boss?" asked the other, starting the car up as they all got in.

"First of all, please, just call me Nack," the weasel said. "Secondly, no thank you."

"Do you feel like the others can handle that job?" asked the driver, pulling away from the park.

"I do," said Nack. "There aren't a lot of people in this world that I trust. Those four are lucky to be among that lot, and that makes it six if I include the two of you."

"Won't you have to find another place to cause some ruckus in?" asked the other lackey. "If those freelancers are focused more on Green Hill, they'll get there super quick."

"Yeah," the driver added. "They might try to chase us back up here."

"That's what I'm counting on," Nack grinned. "But... I'm not going to spoil anything else for you two. It's my own little surprise that only I know about." He then tipped his hat down over his head to cover his eyes. "Anyway, let's get back to our own prison. Hopefully, it'll be filled up with a few more convicts before long."

And with that, the rest of the drive back was silent. Nack drifted slowly to sleep, but was unable to wipe the grin from his face. He quickly found a chance to rid himself of those pesky cops from the week before after finding out that they were still alive. Hopefully, they weren't going to be too much of a problem for much longer.

With that thought in mind, he went to sleep, his only regret was not being able to see his plan in action at Green Hill. But he had faith in his associates, and he could only hope that they would play their roles to perfection and deliver.

As of posting this, where I am, it's past midnight on August seventeenth. Technically, that makes it the anniversary of when I first started this story, even though it might read the day before because this site sticks to the United States time-zones. That aside, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. I always enjoy writing the Nack parts, and I hope that you all enjoy reading them. I'll see you next time. Take care, and stay tuned.