[҉]
Chapter VII — Subzero [Period Three]
[҉]
Paul Linford — "Kick It Up a Notch" (NFS Most Wanted Pursuit Soundtrack 3)
[҉]
Out of breath and sore in almost all of his muscles, Fox fought his way through the small clusters of fans heading back to their seats for the third period. He was panting loudly by the time he slipped through the tunnel and almost ran into the rest of his team. Wolf's reaction time was the best out of all of them, as he snatched up the vulpine by his sleeves before his slipping boots could go careening over the railing and into the sea of fans.
"Easy, runt," Wolf suppressed a chuckle. "They're just warming up right now; you didn't miss anything."
"Except for number 22 tripping when he stepped off the bench," laughed Natalia, tail swishing in apparent content.
"No, guys, we need to go," Fox demanded, pulling on Wolf's sleeve to try to get him to follow.
"I thought we agreed to stay for the rest of the game," Natalia said with curiosity.
"Yeah, I don't wanna go just yet!" whined Sheila, crossing her arms over the logo of her jersey.
"You don't understand," Fox interjected, ripping out the timber wolf's ID and badge from his pocket, stuffing it in Wolf's face. "They're here!"
Wide-eyed, Wolf snatched the badge right out of his paw, swearing as he saw the name and rank inscribed. "Pack it up boys; we need to go."
"Wolf!" yipped Sheila, angrily pouting at him. "But the game!"
"Fuck the game," snarled the lupine, grabbing Natalia by the back of her shirt collar and forcing her forward through the tunnel. "Go. Go go go!"
As the team filed out into the concourse, Fox pushed at Wolf to make him turn right, intentionally altering their route so that they wouldn't have to run into his parents again. Quickly, the team traversed the length of the longest straightaway, staying close to the wall to decrease their chances of being spotted.
"You've got some explaining to do, McCloud," growled Wolf, retreating into his coat as he spoke.
"All I did was wash my hands," Fox retorted, just barely keeping up with the rest of the group. "That officer knew I was Fox McCloud and asked if I would help find you. They got a tip that you were here."
"This is exactly the reason why I hated this goddamn hockey game idea," Wolf lamented, stopping as they got to the corner of the commerce area, right at one of the entrances to the club area on the next floor. "There's way too much of a risk. Did you rat us out?"
"Of course not," Fox lied through his teeth. "But he got suspicious, and I had to fight him."
"No wonder you had trouble walking straight," Adam chirped. "Thought you had a few beers before getting back."
"Did he hurt you?" Sheila asked, knifing through the group to get to Fox. The vulpine instinctively threw up his arms to prevent her from intruding on his personal bubble, but that worked just as well as lighting a match underwater. As the light copper husky poked and prodded at him as if she were an overly-attached nurse, Fox managed to pull out his phone, and within moments had sent a text to Scarlet telling her to get down to the main level immediately.
"Hey, Fox," a voice the vulpine instantly recognized as his father's shouted at him, making his eyes metaphorically shoot out of his skull. He impulsively pushed Sheila off of him and turned to face his father, hoping that Wolf heard and would back away from the scene. Luckily, he did, and forced the rest of the team—aside from Sheila—towards the windows nestled in the corner of the curved concessions area.
"Oh, hi dad," Fox said with a vaguely awkward and urgent tone, attempting to think of yet another ruse to get his father out of his fur. "Why aren't you down watching the game?"
"Ah, your mother needed a drink to take her meds," James said with a hint of embarrassment, stuffing his paws into his jacket. "I swear there's somethin' with authors and having migraines. That Scott Sheppard author said that happens to him a lot when he's writing, or whatever."
Fox chuckled along, watching as James pulled out his wallet and flipped through a few compartments.
"What brings you here, if I may ask?" James asked. Fox visibly flushed, and to his dismay Sheila butted in before he could respond.
"Scarlet said she was gonna meet up with Fox down here," the husky answered surely, popping Fox's personal bubble by having her muzzle jutt off of his shoulder.
"Oh, cool," James grinned. "I guess I'll stick around to say hi to her then."
"Oh, that's okay," stammered Fox, shoving Sheila away. "You don't have to right now. I can bring her back to your seats after we're done talking."
"But I'm already here," James laughed, roughly patting Fox's back as he slid alongside him. "Might as well kill two birds with one stone, no?"
Fox immediately thought of a scene of his father beating Adam to death with a rock, but he pushed his imagination away and replied, "Well, shouldn't you be getting back to mom? Those headaches ought to hurt."
"She can survive for another five minutes," laughed the elder fox, tightening his one-armed grasp on his kit.
Fox began to get impatient. "Dad, I don't mean to sound rude, but I want to talk to Scar alone."
"I'll be quick, I promise," assured James, adjusting the shades perched on his muzzle.
"Uh, Mr. McCloud," Sheila awkwardly stepped between the two vulpines, ears folded back in apparent hesitance. "Fox is right. We'd like our privacy, if you don't mind."
James stepped back a few feet, his ears drooping down as well. "Oh. Well… sorry, Fox. Didn't mean to bother you so much."
Fox felt his heart strings get pulled with how sad and disappointed his father's voice sounded.
"Just figured you might've been excited to see your old man again after being away for years on end," James continued softly. "You just left us a few years back without even saying goodbye. You're my kid, Fox, and I do care about what you're doing with your life. You may get older, but I'll never stop caring about you. Since you insist, I'll just shut up and get out of… whatever it is you need that privacy for. I won't bug you anymore."
Letting every part of him deflate like an old balloon that had sat in the sun for too long, James turned around and trudged away. As his heels dragged against the floor, Fox breathed a sigh tainted with guilt. He had made his dad upset before, but something about this time made him feel ten times worse. Lying outright to his father, just to keep him from knowing what his son found himself in made Fox feel like—
"Crap," Sheila blurted out, her cheeks blazing red. "Sorry Fox, I messed that one up too, didn't I?"
"No, I messed up," argued Fox, resting his back against the wall. "I should've just told him."
Sheila covered her mouth. "About us not being a real couple?"
"About this team, Sheila," answered Fox in a short tone. "I already ratted them out to that CDF officer, and that's why they're probably gonna lock this place down any moment."
"You sold us out?" Sheila yipped, suddenly contorting her muzzle into the most ferocious scowl he had ever seen. "Are you stupid? Now we're screwed because of you! Thanks a lot."
"Sheila, I didn't—"
Sheila huffed and turned her back on him. "To think I wanted to be your boyfriend. Now I don't even want to be your fake one!"
"I didn't sell you out," snapped the vulpine, grabbing her shoulders and roughly turning her around to face himself, accidentally slapping himself in the face with her hair. "The officer asked about you specifically, and I didn't tell."
Sheila's anger suddenly diminished. "Wait, you did what?"
"I put my own reputation on the line just so that they wouldn't go after you," he continued. "But now we're all gonna get fu—"
"Attention!" a voice over the rink-wide intercom system barked, flash-freezing the entire group instantly. "Space Dynamics Arena is now under a CDF mandated lockdown. Please remain seated, and CDF personnel will handle the unfolding situation. Thank you."
"FOX!" Wolf snarled, and before Fox knew it the large lupine had him by the scruff of his neck. "What the fuck did you do?!"
"Just be lucky I had time to warn you," retorted Fox, cringing as Wolf tightened his hold.
"Let go of him," growled Sheila, giving a rough shove to Wolf, allowing Fox to squirm out of his hold. Wolf retaliated instantly, shoving the husky right back with his teeth bared in rage. Fox managed to break her impending fall by grabbing her arms before she lost her footing.
Wolf wanted to press further, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw armed CDF soldiers storming in through the entrance on the other side of the short connecting hallway. A shot rang out behind Wolf, clipping the first soldier's gun straight out of his paws. Then the lupine saw a streak of red flash before him before his collar started tugging away from him.
"Get your fat ass downstairs," Scarlet snarled, shoving one of her handguns into Wolf's chest as she pushed him towards the two heavy doors built into the supporting wall. Using her own, she provided cover fire into the large group of encroaching soldiers as the Star Wolf team slipped through the "authorized personnel only" door and sped down the resulting set of stairs. Fox shoved Sheila towards that door as well, simultaneously locating the weapon he stole off of Officer Kanison and helped Scarlet fight back. Bullets and lasers were flying around aimlessly, but the two vulpines managed to get away from the onslaught of fire against them and chased after the Star Wolf team.
[x]
Still en route to his seat, James continued walking down the crowded hallway. His ears perked back up after a harsh commanding voice blared over the arena's intercom, announcing the lockdown and ordering all occupants to stay seated.
A lockdown? James thought to himself. Who would the CDF have to restrain besides an extremely sore loser? I don't remember any after game fights getting that rough, plus we're only halfway through the match. I sure hope Fox is...
There lay his answer. Fox. He had been acting strange all day, evading questions and contradicting himself without realizing it. James expected Fox's nervousness wasn't only due to his girlfriend's presence. But now that he thought about it, was that husky even his girlfriend? He had noticed four other anthropoi in Fox's group, but they had shied away when he approached them. Fox wouldn't even clearly explain what business he had with Scarlet... and now it was becoming apparent why.
"What has he gotten himself into this time..." James sighed. It was quite possible his son had gone rogue, and in all likelihood, the CDF were after him.
James stopped beside a food counter, removing his sunglasses and slipping them into his shirt's neck while also removing his coat. Peppy always told him he couldn't tell the two McClouds apart except for James' trusty shades. Now it was time to put that to the test.
Stepping back around the counter again, he hurried past several confused hockey enthusiasts until he found a pair of CDF officers. Upon noticing the gold-furred vulpine, they looked up from their equipment, making eye-contact. James faked a horrified expression, bugging his eyes out and sliding to a stop. He whirled around and shot off back the way he had come, grinning to himself as the officers began the pursuit.
"Stop, McCloud!" one of the canines ordered. A bang ensued, followed by a bullet pinging off the floor to James' right.
Oh shit, they mean business! James chuckled to himself. I'm getting too old for this.
While the officers trailed after him, boots screeching on the smooth floor, James heard one of them use his radio. "O'Dempsey here. We've spotted McCloud and are engaging pursuit. Send support to the west hallway..."
It's working! James silently congratulated himself, pulling ahead of the officers. Looks like your old man still has it in him, Fox!
At that moment, James rounded a corner and came face to face with three new CDF personal.
"Freeze!" two of the officers simultaneously shouted, while all three drew their guns.
James slid to a stop and spun around, heading for a nearby exit that lead into a stairway. Just as he burst into the stairwell and heavy door began to shut behind him, another shot rang out.
A sharp pain stabbed into his back.
James stumbled to a halt, standing ramrod straight—almost leaning backwards. The pain began to spread in his back, and his spine felt as if submerged in icy water. He shuffled a few halting steps towards the stairs, but then the cement steps seemed to rise up to meet him.
[x]
"We've got to make it to the east side," Wolf's gruff voice echoed down the stairwell. "Leon's waiting there with the car; every other exit is heavily guarded."
At the bottom of the stairs, Scarlet shoved the door open and stepped out into the hallway, blaster extended at arm's length. She scanned either direction of the hallway the stairs opened out into, then motioned for the Star Wolf team to follow. Adam constantly stumbled and tripped as he ran, struggling to keep up with the rest of his team. He was distracted by his tablet, simultaneously jamming the CDF's comms system and pulling up a blueprint of the arena.
"Kajær, where to now?" Wolf demanded.
"Uh, looks like the safest way to the east side is through the actual rink," the blue jay informed him.
"Left or right?!" Wolf barked.
"Left, left!" Adam squawked, almost dropping his tablet. Scarlet and Wolf took the lead again, with Fox and Sheila quickly catching up to them. Through several dimly-lit hallways, they found themselves in the away team's locker rooms. They didn't stop to dilly-dally, but had to slow to avoid slipping over discarded clothing, damp towels, and smelly briefs.
After the locker room they came upon a dark corridor lit at the opposite end by a white light. The clamor of thousands of confused people echoed down the tunnel, tipping them off to their location. Quickly traversing the corridor, Star Wolf found themselves in the midst of the away team's benches, every member of which was seated in neat rows but constantly griping and complaining that their game was interrupted.
"We have to cross over to the Major's side!" Wolf instructed them, barreling down the line of benches to get as close to the home team's side as possible. As Sheila followed, she paused at each unsuspecting teammate to poke them in the rear with her foam number one finger.
"Boop! Boop! And a boop for you! And... boop!" Some of the away team stood up to shout at the husky, while others merely looked over their shoulders and glared at her.
Wolf was the first to climb over the half-boards and onto the ice as if his line was up next to take the faceoff. He was in such a hurry that his feet flipped out from beneath him. He grabbed onto the edge for support, but his broken finger caused him to lose his grip and fall flat on his butt on the hard ice. Scarlet burst out laughing as she parkoured the crossing. She jumped up onto the back of the bench, almost stepping on a player's tail, then vaulted through the little opening the confused players made and balanced on the edge of the half-boards before using Wolf's head as a stepping stone to the home team's side.
Fox, Sheila, and Natalia trailed closely on their heels, though none of them attempted Scarlet's gymnastics. Mocking Wolf, Fox opened the short door by the metallic lever underneath the full ledge and gently stepped onto the frictionless surface. They slipped at first, but for the most part maintaining their balance. As Sheila bumped into Wolf's still seated form, she nearly fell backwards, but Fox managed to catch her before she could. Natalia grabbed onto the wall for support, giving Wolf a hand up before they followed after them and climbed into the Major's bench.
Kajær paused before he attempted to cross the ice. Sliding his tablet into his backpack, he rubbed his feathered hands together and blew on them. "Okay Adam, you got this. Just don't make a fool of yourself by—"
"Man, screw that," Patrik thundered behind him. The towering malamute wrapped his arms around the blue jay's waist, turning his shoulder to the acrylic glass barrier that separated the two teams' bench areas.
"Patrik, Patrik what are you doing?!" Adam demanded as he furiously struggled to escape the canine's powerful grasp.
Merely grunting in response, Patrik charged sideways, at the last moment leaping to throw his full weight against the glass wall. His shoulder broke through the glass, shattering the barrier into hundreds of shards as he and Adam sailed into the Major's bench without the humiliation of having to traverse the ice.
While Patrik had shielded Adam from the impact, both of the teammates sprawled on the floor, dazed and confused. A gloved hand helped the malamute up, then brushed some of the glass from his clothes; it was one of the Major's players.
"The hell, man? I appreciate your dedication, but..." The player trailed off, a look of recognition on his face. "Hey, haven't I played against you before? You were that defenceman from, oh..." He snapped his fingers but was unable to recall the country. "But your name's Maelstrom, right? Or-or Dullstorm? It can't be Duststorm, can it?"
Not wanting the player to recognize him, Patrik grabbed Adam's wing and jerked him upright. "Mmmm… get the number of the guy who hit me," the avian murmured groggily. But Patrik hurried the blue jay along, closing the ground between them and the rest of the team.
While Star Wolf crossed between the two teams' sides, the CDF finally noticed them at the sound of the thundering explosion of glass. Several officers in the stands spoke furiously into their radio units, but Adam had successfully jammed their frequencies. When this method failed, the officers waved and shouted across the arena, but again were lost in the confusing throng with the rest of the crowd. Regardless of the evident disarray, many CDF officers spotted the team amongst the players' benches and rushed down to the ice rink after them. Their attempt at crossing the entire rink went about as well as Wolf's, though much more spectacular. Officer after officer rushed out onto the ice, only to slip and slide across the frictionless ground. Some managed to slide the entire way across, comically windmilling their arms like cartoon characters, while others immediately slipped and fell on their rumps, disgraced in front of the entire arena of fans.
Star Wolf had a large lead on any pursuers as a result, and continued traversing the Major's side of the bench towards their entrance tunnel. Scarlet received countless wolf-whistles from the line of players, while Sheila straggled behind searching the benches for the tell-tale number 31 of her hero.
They slipped into the dark tunnel and into the Corneria City Major's locker rooms, mirroring the away team's setup they had run through not five minutes earlier. Sheila gazed at all of the hockey gear and clothing lining the benches, paying much more attention than she had for the previous team's area.
"Oh. My. Gawwwd! Henrik Price goes naked in this room!" The husky slowed to a halt and gently laid a paw against the door to a shower stall. "If only these walls could speak..." she whispered.
"Run, dammit, Sheila!" Fox cursed, grabbing the canine's arm and pulling her along with the rest of the team.
After a few minutes of intense sprinting, the loveliest sight in the world greeted their eyes; a glowing red 'EXIT' sign hung above a side door that lead out of the arena. Fox was so close to his escape that he could almost tangibly feel it. But as soon as Scarlet thrust the door open and the team spilled out into the night air behind her, they stopped in their tracks.
Two policemen were waiting outside the exit, idly leaning against the back of their squad car. Once Star Wolf burst from the arena, however, they both stood up and drew their guns, aiming them at the unprepared mercenaries.
"Don't move!" one of the officers—a spectacled bear—ordered them. "Don't force us to fire; we're prepared to shoot!"
"Shit..." Wolf snarled. He and the rest of his teammates slowly raised their hands, complying with the officer's orders.
At that moment, an engine revved somewhere down the parking lot. As tires screeched against the pavement, the officers turned to look, but were too late to react. Fox's black SUV came out of nowhere to ram the officers head-on into the back of their patrol car, sending a resounding crash through the parking lot. Bones audibly snapped and a few sprinkles of blood coated the SUV's windshield; the cops were undoubtedly dead.
The driver's window slowly rolled down, revealing Leon's grinning face. "Oh, I'm sorry; were they important?"
Fox took several shaky steps forward, jaw hanging open. "Leon... what did you do with my car?!"
"Meter's running, kid," Leon joked with his Cheshire grin.
"You got dead people all over the hood of my car!" Fox continued to wheeze. "Innocent cops! Great! There goes a chunk of my tax return!"
"Surprise, pup; you're driving," Wolf said as he shoved Fox towards his car. The lupine climbed into the back seat with Natalia and Adam, while Scarlet and Patrik took the middle with Sheila plopping down between them. Fox did as he was told, climbing into the front and kicking Leon into the passenger seat. When he sat down and buckled in, Fox blanched at the spray of red that speckled the windshield.
"Oh, geez..." He felt like he might get sick again.
"Allow me," Leon sneered as he leaned over and activated the wipers.
As Fox backed away from the police car, the two officers came with his SUV, still plastered to the front of his hood. Fox put the car back into drive again, then jammed the accelerator until the bodies slid off and slipped beneath the car. He grimaced when his SUV bumped over the corpses.
Barrelling through the access alleyway connecting the side of the rink with the main city streets, Fox narrowly avoided numerous obstacles as his tires skidded against the asphalt before regaining their grip and sending the SUV accelerating through downtown roads. It didn't take long at all for the resounding wail of sirens to begin trailing him.
"All units; be advised," Fox's dashboard scanner crackled. "Suspect has initiated a high-speed pursuit due westbound of Space Dynamics Arena. Requesting active patrol members to engage."
"Oh, that's not good," Leon commented sarcastically, pivoting in his seat to face Wolf all the way in the back row of seats. "Wolf, you're about to get company."
"I see that," growled Wolf, glancing over his own shoulder to see the flashing red and blue lights tailing him. "You better have some horsepower in this truck of yours, runt."
Fox gritted his teeth, savagely turning his wheel over and over, causing his truck to veer to the left amidst the sound of screeching tires.
*"Suspect not slowing down, requesting backup to pursuit."*
"Bird! Cut their chatter!" Wolf demanded, rifling through his bag to find his own kind of rifle. Yes, all the puns in that were intentional.
"Their frequency is already scrambled," Adam shouted. "There's no way I can get through. I can alter the traffic lights if that helps."
"Nobody cares about the goddamn traffic lights," spat Wolf, smashing Fox's rear window with the stock of his compact carbine.
"Hey!" Fox snarled. "You're paying for those repairs!"
"You're going to be paying for your bailout, all of our bailouts, and then your funeral if you don't get us out of here!" Wolf retorted.
"Adam, get the lights on our side," Fox informed the blue jay. "Give us all the advantage we can get."
"On it."
The vulpine navigated the rather busy downtown streets with precision and efficiency, careful not to lose more than a split-second of time between himself and the authorities. At this point, he didn't care about his surroundings so long as they didn't cripple his truck in any way, so smashing through street lights, flattening parking meters, and sideswiping parked cars was the price he had to pay to make his getaway. Luckily he had his SUV outfitted with a steel push bumper, allowing for increased protection of his truck's fragile engine and providing an advantage when it came to plowing through his obstacles.
Loud plinks and shattering glass began filling his ears as the encroaching CDF had resulted to using firepower to attempt to apprehend the vehicle. Sheila shrieked as her side window imploded due to the gunfire. Fox ducked behind his seat, keeping his muzzle low to the steering wheel as he peered his eyes above the dash to navigate himself through traffic.
"Aw, fuck you," growled Wolf, opening fire on the pursuing squad cars. He wasn't conservative of ammunition at first, as he unloaded well over twenty rounds into the nearest car, detonating its front tire and causing a spray of blood to coat the windshield from the inside. As if a mighty gust of divine wind caught the metaphorical mainsails, the car suddenly veered to the left, soaring end over end as it rammed into a line of parked cars along the side of the road.
"Save some bullets for Christ's sake!" Fox snapped, forcing himself through an intersection going well over sixty on urban streets.
"Who?"
"It'll take longer for me to explain it than we have time to get away," Fox retorted. "Get them off of us!"
"What do you think I'm doing back here? Having a giant goddamn orgy with Nat and Dahlstrom?"
"I sure wouldn't put you against it!"
"Boys, cut the chit chat," Scarlet announced firmly, pivoting around while pulling her knees up to the seat. As she fought with the cramped interior, she grunted, "You two can flirt later, and maybe, if you're lucky, I'll let you get a room and some peace and quiet. But right now, Fox, keep your eyes on the road and not on my ass, for everyone's sake."
"The hell are you—" Fox started, cutting himself off as he looked in his metaphorical and literal rear view mirror. He saw Scarlet retracting the sunroof, then poking her head and torso above the threshold while facing back towards the pursuing cars. All Fox saw in his mirror was Scarlet's bushy tail and her blatantly defined cheeks. "Ohhhh."
*"Suspect is returning fire!"*
"Wow, these officers are so observant," Leon snickered. "I wonder if they'll radio to dispatch if I flip them off…"
"Not the time, lizard!" Wolf gruffly barked. "Pup, left!"
Fox complied, swerving to the left and inadvertently bumping into oncoming traffic. Yet, the pursuing authorities followed closely despite the speed of the turn. Wolf opened fire as the CDF cars wound the corner, yet none of the cars fell victim to his attack.
*"Uh, chief, we've got ourselves a six-forty-seven. The chameleon's giving us the bird."*
"Cut the chatter, unit twenty-seven."
*"Roger that. Suspect evading arrest via drastic measures. I'm gonna try a ten-thirty-nine to apprehend this guy."*
"Ten-thirty-who?" Sheila echoed curiously.
"Nine, Sheila, meaning they're gonna ram us," Patrik deadpanned, leaning forward in his seat to poke his muzzle around the back seats' headrests. "Your truck better be able to withstand hell, Fox."
"Hold on," was all Fox was able to respond with. Swerving to the right and linking up with a split avenue divided by a thick concrete median, the vulpine started accelerating more and more until the lampposts and street signs lining the sidewalks were nothing but blurs flashing by in his peripheral vision. The pursuing vehicles also gained that same velocity, and then some; attempting to line their front bumpers with Fox's quarter panel. Two cars flanked him, one on his left and encroaching, while the second one hung back and rubbed his push bumper against the back of the SUV.
Fox pumped his brake pedal once, just enough to send the patrol car on his left soaring by and causing the car behind him to slam into his bumper. The sheer force of the bump put Fox back up to his original speed, and he used that advantage to veer left, hooking his own steel bar into the other car's rear tire. Squealing rubber filled the air as Fox performed his own PIT maneuver on the officers chasing him, getting enough force on it to send it into a tailspin. The driver of the car attempted to correct, but instead sent himself barreling towards the concrete median. His poor car didn't have enough leverage to hop the divider, so at the impact of his front left tire on that median, his car popped up, swerved back to bounce off of Fox's SUV again, before beginning a vicious roll overtop the median.
*"Unit disabled, I repeat; dispatch, unit disabled. Suspect is getting reckless."*
"Ten-four. All units, suspect is exhibiting dangerous driving maneuvers to evade. Requesting that all patrolling units within the area converge to detain the suspect."
"Good luck with that," Fox laughed to himself, continuing down the street. A loud burst of shots erupted from the back seat, and as Fox looked into his side view mirror, he saw the last car barreling through parking meters and streetlights with the driver evidently unresponsive.
Something tickled the back of Fox's neck. Swatting the fluffy object, he discovered it was Scarlet's tail suggestively prodding him. "Scarlet, now's not the time for it! I'm driving!"
"Oh I've done worse to someone while driving," Scarlet assured him, continuing to tease the vulpine with her tail.
Just then, at the intersection Fox just soared by, three more cars with lights flashing and sirens wailing joined up with the pursuit, attempting to box in the evading SUV. Scarlet swore and immediately began discharging her handgun, the metal bullets plinking against the car on his left. Wolf pivoted in the small cabin he had, going towards the back right window and shooting at the car on that side. All the while, officers loaded in the cars fired back with their own weaponry. Luckily, Fox's car was dense enough to withstand the beating.
However, one shot from the car trailing his six managed to slip through everything separating that car and Fox. His arm metaphorically caught fire as the bullet passed through the fleshy part of his shoulder cleanly. He roared in pain as the blood from the wound drenched his entire left arm in a sticky red.
"Fox!" Sheila yipped at the sight of the hole in his arm. "Fox, you're hit!"
"No shit!" snarled Fox, pain coursing through his entire body. "Son of a bitch that hurts!"
"Are you okay?" The husky shouted concernedly. "Can you still drive?"
"I'm fine," he answered through clenched teeth, his left arm starting to go numb. "I never wanted this getaway to be easy anyway."
"Fox, right, now!" Scarlet snapped.
Time seemed to slow down right then and there. He saw the intersection closely approaching, completely open without any restrictions hindering it. His eyes flashed between cars, seeing that the right side car was far back enough for him to fly by. Practically in slow motion, Fox fought with his arms to forcefully spin the steering wheel, sending his truck into a slight tailspin as he angled himself towards the open street. Drifting along the asphalt, Fox slammed on the gas and sent his SUV speeding down the other direction, only allowing one other car to react quick enough to pursue. The other two cars sped right by, missing their only opportunity to continue the chase.
*"Uh, dispatch, we've got a rolling ten-seventy-three setting up five blocks south of the suspect. Requesting that all available units converge and ten-sixty-five."*
"Oh you motherfuckers," Fox growled.
"Runt! Bait 'em!" Wolf shouted, attempting to shoot out the tires of the pursuing car while the officer in the passenger seat fired back.
"What?"
"Play their game!" The lupine hollered. "Your truck is a nasty bastard anyway, so just blow through them! They won't expect you to get through!"
"You can't be serious!"
"Just fucking do it!" Wolf snarled, ducking under a few gunshots.
Towards the horizon, Fox could see a line of flashing lights diverting oncoming traffic. They had that entire street roadblocked with squad cars, complete with barriers and a few spike strips, seeing how he could see the glint off of their flashing red and blue lights.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Fox muttered, accelerating towards the block.
Cars began swarming him, boxing him in and leading him towards that line of cars. The more he thought, the more he began to believe that the officers setting this up were downright stupid. His truck, armored and outfitted with a steel push bar, could cut through their roadblock of common squad cars like a sharp broadsword could cut through skin. But, these officers seemed determined to bring the chase to an end, even if this seemed like the most unproductive way of doing so.
Ignoring the throbbing pain in his shoulder and the ache of trashing his reputation in the middle of this terribly illegal chase, Fox managed to tighten his hold on the steering wheel and shouted with a volume that easily surpassed the wail of the sirens and the explosions of gunfire.
"Buckle the fuck down!"
Fox slammed into the roadblock going well over eighty miles an hour, essentially casting the cars he hit aside like toys. He hit two cars, one right on the engine block and the other on its rear quarter panel. The first one exploded into pieces, launching up because of the force Fox's SUV inflicted on it. The other one merely was sent spiraling out of the way. As Fox barely lost any momentum, the pursuing cars got caught up into the roadblock as well, only they had much worse luck getting through. Parts, scrap metal, and fluids were sent scattering at the impact of so many cars smashing together at once. He immediately slammed on the brakes just enough to turn down another street and attempt to evade the ensuing scene.
After putting a safe amount of distance between themselves and the police, Fox turned the car around and backed into an alley. Once the SUV was well covered in shadows, he stopped and cut the engine. Of one mind, the Star Wolf members collectively held their breaths to remain as quiet as possible, even if the action would have no bearing on the outcome of their situation. The near silence set all of the team on edge, refusing to accept that they had completely evaded capture.
In the ensuing silence, they held their tongues, intently listening to the police scanner.
"All units, report in. Does anyone have visuals of the suspects?"
The inquiry was followed by a long list of negatives as each patrol car responded.
The voice heaved a heavy sigh. "Damn... All cars end pursuit. Return to the suspects' last known location—we'll set up a perimeter there."
Fox released his pent-up breath along with the rest of his teammates. The Cornerians were finally off their tails, and they were free to move onto their next destination.
"All units, report in," Wolf sneered, mocking the radio operator. While most of the others had escaped unscathed, Fox had experienced otherwise.
"I've uh... got some lead in me," the vulpine gasped through the searing pain in his shoulder.
Concerned for Fox's well-being, Sheila pleaded, "Wolf, can we take him back to the Vigilant? We have a med bay there—"
"Nothin' doin'," Wolf grunted as he shook his head. "We can't risk getting caught on our way back to the ship. We'll have to stay at Todd's house 'til things cool down. Leon, take the wheel."
As Leon started to unbuckle his seat, Fox spoke up. "No, I'm not letting that chameleon drive my car again. He's already got blood all the way down the front of my hood. Plus, if you give a maniac like Leon a motorized vehicle, there's no telling how many civilians he'll—"
"Ah shut your trap and go back to licking your wounds, runt. There's no way you can keep driving with a bullet in your shoulder. I'd never do something like that. Hey, I'm not that bad of a slave driver, am I?" Wolf raised his hands, questioningly. "Am I?"
Sheila, Patrik, Adam, and Natalia all avoided the lupine's gaze, refusing to answer. After some coaxing, Leon convinced Fox to trade places with him, and started up the engine. But before he could head down the alley, Fox placed his free paw on the lizard's arm.
"I just wanted to say one last thing while Elarix still has control of my mouth. Sheppard, if you dare make Todd's gay husband Phoenix, so help me you will sleep on the couch for the rest of the year."
[҉]
Elarix's A/N: I don't haz to write teh hackeys no mores? YAIY!1! Yes, my contract with this story has been fulfilled, and it is time to get back to my own projects. It was a blast working on ASS;AM, and I will miss the privilege of getting to make fun of Sheppard in his own story. Don't know when we'll collaborate again, but be on the lookout for a parody story from me poking fun at First Contact, Veria, and just Sheppard in general sometime in the far future. Yes, an entire one-shot dedicated to roasting Shep. Welp, until then, see ya!
Sheppard's A/N: Many thanks to Elarix for his help. This was hella fun, and I do wish to do this again soon. But, for now, this concludes the comedic train-wreck that was the Shep/Elarix colab extravaganza. These next updates will be back to "normal." Take care fellas, and enjoy.
Oh, and keep eyes out for the contest entries. Mine should be up in the next few days, life permitting, of course.