Chapter 32: Bad Cop and Shadow.
Sorry this weeks update is a bit late, had my graduation on friday and took a while to recover.
I know, no excuse.
I wanted to get the plot moving in this one so thats just what I did.
Hope you enjoy.
Shadow and Cassie stood in a small observation room overlooking an interviewing room through a two-way mirror. Sitting on one side of the metallic table was an iguana sporting a thick lip and a large black eye, both he had received from the irate echidna who had hurled him through several panes of glass. He was wearing the crumpled remnants of a crisp white shirt and a pair of creased black suit trousers. His arms were handcuffed behind the chair.
He was the only link they had to the perpetrators of the body heist pulled a few days ago and until now they hadn't had the time to interview him. They only hoped that the iguana would give them the information they were after.
"Do you think we've let him wait long enough?" Cassie asked her brooding partner. Shadow glared through the glass at the green and blue scaled reptile a sinister smile spreading across his lips.
"I think so."
"Great! I bagsy bad cop." She grinned and headed towards the door.
"No you don't, I'm always the bad cop!" She stopped in the doorway and grinned, an idea forming in her mind.
"Tell you what." She began, folding her arms and leaning on the door frame. "I'll let you be the bad cop if you join me for a night on the town tomorrow."
Shadow crossed his arms and looked at her sceptically. "Unless of course you've got better plans for a Saturday night."
Her smile was full as he stared at her a slight frown on his face. "Well?"
"Alright." He relented after several minutes. "It's not like I do much on Saturday anyway…"
Cassie's grin got broader. "Excellent. Well come on Shadz, lets see your bad cop in action."
Shadow marvelled at how this girl could make him smile with just a few simple words. No-one had been able to do that since, Maria… He followed her out of the observation room and into short hallway which connected the various interviewing and observation rooms. Cassie looked back at her partner.
"Let's have some fun shall we?" She pushed open the door, instantly replacing her happy expression with a straight face; Shadow followed wearing his usual scowl and took up a sinister position in the corner after closing the door. Cassie sat down opposite the iguana and sorted through the file she had brought in before looking up at him.
"Let's get this started shall we." She laid out the two photographs of Paul Metha'as and the Mongoose John Doe. "Do you recognise either of these men?"
The iguana leaned forward as best he could and glanced at the photos before shaking his head. "Should I?"
"You should. 'Cause you helped these guys invade GUN headquarters, you opened fire on GUN Agents to aid in their escape."
"Looks like I didn't do a good job then." He said with a smirk. Shadow glared at him from his corner.
"No you didn't. And that got me wondering, why would anyone hire you?" It was Shadow's turn to smirk as his saw the small flicker of anxiety flash across the iguana's face. "I mean, with your track record, Stanly Haygard, why would anyone hire you?"
Cassie proceeded to lay the information on the iguana on the table as she listed the various criminal records he had earned through his life. "This one's my favourite, first degree murder."
"I was never convicted for that!" The iguana, Stanly said quickly.
"No, that's true. You had a bloody good lawyer, a… Mr Acklesfield if I've got my notes right." She glanced at the fidgeting reptile and smiled. "Is this him?"
She laid out another photograph, this one a still frame taken from the interview room used for the late Paul Metha'as when his sister had visited him with her lawyer. Cassie pointed at the purple hedgehog in the suit.
"Yeah, that's him."
"Now I've been thinking about this for some time, stop me if I'm wrong. You knew Mr Acklesfield, Acklesfield knew Paul Metha'as and his sister, Paul Metha'as hired you to help him infiltrate GUN headquarters because he knew you owed Acklesfield for getting you off on the murder charge, and you agreed knowing full well that with a flick of his wrist, Acklesfield could send you down for that same murder he got you acquitted from!" Her voice had been steadily rising and she now stood, her hands pressed down on the table as she glared down at the cringing iguana.
Suddenly she sat back down with a sinister smiled. "That's what I think in any case. How about you?"
Stanly Haygard looked at the black furred hedgehog in the corner and gulped when he saw those crimson eyes glaring back at him.
"I want a lawyer." He said shakily.
"I'm so sorry, but you don't qualify." Cassie replied. She was enjoying making him squirm. "You see, we've got evidence of you firing at GUN Agents, several witnesses not including the extensive security recordings. So it doesn't matter who you get as your lawyer, you're going down regardless. But I've got a deal for you."
The iguana perked up slightly and looked at her expectedly. "You tell us what we want to know and, well… you get the idea."
"You've already said I'm going down regardless, and tellin' ya what you want to know ain't gonna help me. So I'm staying quiet."
"You really think keeping quiet is going to help you?" Shadow asked from his corner. Stanly looked at him, mainly to avoid the sadistic expression on the Cassie's face.
"Worked before!" The ebony hedgehog walked forward slowly until he was standing beside the iguana.
"Paul Metha'as kept quiet, he's dead."
"What!" He stammered fear and disbelief in his voice.
"And if they can get to him, they most certainly can get to you. Especially if we keep you in a low security holding cell." Shadow put emphasis on 'low security' and smiled at the reaction.
"Or we could release you; see how long you last on the street with nowhere to hide." Cassie added. The iguana looked fearfully from one hedgehog to the other.
"Look man, you don't know who you're dealing with. They'd kill me if I tell you anything!" Shadow leaned in close. His next words a scant whisper.
"And I'll kill you if you don't. And I'll be slow."
"You can't do that, you're an Agent!"
"I'm Shadow the Hedgehog. Do you really think I give a damn about what I can and can't do?" Stanly looked to the female Agent to reign in her partner, but her expression of acceptance gave him cause to whimper.
"All right I'll tell you what I know, but you gotta promise you'll keep me safe!" Shadow stood back up and looked at Cassie, who smiled.
"I think we can work something out."
-0-
"Why are we waiting outside? If we want to get their help shouldn't we just walk it?" Charmy demanded as he buzzed around the others gazing up the steep stone steps of the grand pyramid. Espio sighed quietly as Vector took a swipe at the bee.
"Why are we out here?" Mighty asked their guide, Julie-Su. The pink echidna thought for a moment, her eyes staring up at the thick door at the top of the stairs which glowed with an odd faint cyan light.
"We're waiting."
"Waiting?"
"Yeah. We don't want to appear like enemies."
"That depends on your purpose here." Julie-Su and the Chaotix turned quickly to find themselves surrounded by echidna warriors. Some possessed cybernetic enhancements and blaster weapons while others wielded spears and shovel-claws. But the one who grabbed their attention was a black furred echidna with blood-red eyes, who was wearing a long flowing black cloak and a silver open-faced helmet. His appearance caused the usually hyper Charmy to cower behind the large form of Vector and even Espio felt an unusual cold chill run down his spine.
"Speak quickly!" The shadowy echidna barked a cloud of smoke bursting outward from the folds of his cloak. Julie-Su gulped down her fear and stepped forward, bowing her head in respect.
"I am Julie-Su of the Nocturnus, and I humbly request an audience with the Brotherhood of Guardians." The dark echidna glared at her and the silence seemed to drag on. Both the Chaotix and the echidna warriors exchanged glances with one another, unsure of how things would pan out.
"Very well." Said the cloaked echidna finally. He strode past a shocked Julie-Su and began climbing the high stairs, the echidna warriors following him a few paces behind. He paused on the fourth step before he turned his head and looked back down at the Chaotix as the warriors continuing to climb past him.
His red eyes seemed to blaze. "Come quickly! Hawking is not to be kept waiting."
By the time they had reached the turquoise door, the echidna warriors had already passed through the threshold leaving only the black cloaked one waiting for them at the top. Vector crawled up the last of the steps and collapsed behind the other Chaotix. Charmy began trying to pull him up, but their efforts went unnoticed by Espio, Mighty and Julie-Su.
"I warn you here and now, if any of you even contemplate causing trouble, you will never see sunlight again." He turned and disappeared through the door, his cloak almost making him invisible as he followed the darkened corridor.
"What did he mean by that?" Charmy asked his suddenly pale faced companions. Vector looked up from his position sprawled on the cold stone steps. Sometimes he couldn't believe the naivety of the bumble bee.
"Charmy, he means he'll make you wear a blindfold for the rest of your life." He said calmly, in full knowledge that what he said was a blatant lie.
"But that means I won't be able to see my precious sugar! No!" The hyperactive insect cried before landing with a sniffle. "I'll be good."
"Tell ya what, we do this and I'll buy you some ice-cream." The crocodile said, laying a hand on Charmy's shoulder. Vector met the gaze of the others and in a moment of silent understanding they all agreed to keep the truth of the situation away from the youngest detective.
-0-
Tails and Sakura had chatted cheerfully as they walked through the streets. Here there was little evidence that Robotnik had attacked except for the towering cranes jutting into the skyline and the faint column of smoke that still drifted up from the rubble of the castle.
Tails was amazed at how quickly people had returned to their normal lives. The open-air market place was packed with shoppers, the air filled with raised voices bawling about how low their prices were.
"I forgot how crowded things get around here." Tails muttered as they squeezed through the crowd.
"Tell me about it. At least on deployment all I have to worry about is having to repair the captains jeep. Watch the tail!" Tails smirked as the offending shopper darted away swiftly before suffering the wrath of an irate vixen. "Arsehole."
"Where're we going anyway? The only place around here is Charles's Place and that place is always packed!" She finally managed to manoeuvre herself to Tails' side and clamped an arm tightly around his to avoid being swept away by the crowd a second time.
"Yeah, but Uncle Chuck found out that I was around and practically begged me to visit him." He grinned at the surprised look on Sakura's face. "And who am I to say no too family?"
As if on cue, the crowd parted revealing the most popular eating establishment in all of New Mobotropolis. Aptly named 'Charles's Place', it boasted the best chef's of the Acorn kingdom and it wasn't unusual for other cooks from all over the globe to travel here just to speak, work or train under the great Sir Charles the Hedgehog.
"I remember this place when it was just a chilli-dog stand." Tails commented with a chuckle. "Come on."
Sakura had yet to regain the ability to speak as the golden furred twin-tailed fox guided her up too, and through the glass doors and into the busy restaurant. A myriad of sounds and smells immediately assaulted their senses and their mouths were quick to respond.
"Hello and welcome to Charles's Place. Have you got a table booked?" Asked the cute looking antelope at the front desk.
"Yes, thank you. Tails Prower." The antelope looked down at the list in front of her before smiling.
"Sir Charles has booked you in the private room. If you would like to follow me?" She picked up a pair of menus and led them to the back of the large restaurant. The floor plan was simple, tables of varying sizes scattered around the room, surrounding a small stage in a semi-circle pattern. Tails knew that the stage could be, and had been used for various bands, comedy performances and even amateur dramatics, at the moment a small quartet band was playing for the entertainment of the patrons. The antelope held open a door marked 'private' and the two foxes entered the room beyond.
The private room was decorated in an old Mercian style with dark wooden, intricately engraved panelling along the walls, sanded wooden floor boards covered with a deep velvet red carpet, a large window through which they could see the only section of undeveloped woodland and the darkening orange sky beyond.
Tails pulled out one of the two hand-carved dinning chairs for Sakura, who obligingly sat down. Her hands brushed the polished and shinning wood of the matching carved table, the look of wonder still residing on her face. Tails sat down on the opposite side of the small dinning table and accepted one of the menus from the waitress without taking his eyes off of Sakura's.
"How'd you pull this off?" She asked finally, nodding her thanks to the antelope as she took hold of the remaining menu and the waitress left in silence. Tails smiled.
"There's an old saying: it's not what you know, it's who you know. And fortunately for us, I know Chuck rather well." Sakura was seeing the young fox in a new light. True he had already proved to be both brave and intelligent, but now he was showing that he had social standing, that he personally knew some very influential people in the city and that he wasn't one to flaunt what he could do or who he knew.
"You really know how to impress a girl don't you." She said with a coy smile with sent the blood rushing to his cheeks.
"Well… actually I'm, I… you're the first person I've ever gone out with." Tails admitted shakily. He quickly hid behind his menu in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. Thankfully he was saved by the door swinging open and an aging blue hedgehog walking in wearing the white coat of a chef and a beaming smile.
"Tails. Oh my boy, it's so good to see you!" Tails had stood when the old man had entered and was now on the receiving end of an encompassing hug.
"Hey, Uncle Chuck." The hedgehog held Tails by the shoulders and Sakura could at last get a clear look at him. His fur was starting to lose its pigmentation and greying patches stood out here and there. His face was that of a kindly old man with caring green eyes and a floppy long moustache. She stood as those eyes swept onto her and smiled.
"Oh ho! And who's your friend my boy?" Uncle Chuck asked with a grin and a wink. Sakura grinned back.
"Uncle Chuck, I'd like you to meet Sakura McCain. Sakura, this is my Uncle Chuck." Tails explained. Chuck instantly walked over to the red furred vixen and shook her fondly by the hand.
"I can see the family resemblance." She joked, causing the hedgehog's grin to get even wider.
"It's about time Tails found a lovely young girl instead of hiding amongst all those machines."
"Uncle Chuck…" The embarrassed fox moaned. Chuck laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Oh Tails, it really is good to see you." He clapped his hands together. "Now I suppose you're both hungry. Simply chose whatever it is you want and I'll get it for you free of charge."
"We couldn't do that Chuck." Sakura said quickly, only to be waved down by the beaming hedgehog.
"Nonsense, I won't have it!" He smiled once more at Tails. "Family eats for free."
"Thanks Chuck." Tails replied with a smile of his own.
"Anya will be along for your drinks order shortly. But if you excuse me, we've got a full house tonight and I'm needed in the kitchens." With quick and polite goodbyes, Uncle Chuck left the two young foxes alone and returned to his busy job. As soon as he was gone, Tails' expression changed to one of worry.
"What's up, Fuzzy?" Sakura asked. He sighed and sat down his head resting in his hands.
"It's complicated." He answered as Sakura returned to her own seat.
"Try me."
-0-
Shadow was in his office reading through the file Cassie had brought him about the attack on the Acorn Kingdom city of New Mobotropolis. The castle had been wrecked by the warhead fired from the Death Egg, but thankfully no one had been killed. Sally Acorn, GUN's recently promoted second in command was leading the relief effort. Shadow smirked at the thought that she had only been the Commanders secretary a short while ago. How quickly things could change.
A knock at the door roused him from his focus and he looked up to see the very lavender furred hedgehog standing in his doorway with her jacket slung over one shoulder.
"You're not very good at timekeeping are you?" Shadow looked at her questioningly before following her gaze to the window and the darkening sky outside.
"Huh. Guess time flies when you're not paying attention." He said wistfully.
"Come on. You and me are going to the pub." Cassie said with a jerk of her head.
"I thought that was the plan for tomorrow." Replied the ebony hedgehog looking back at his computer screen. Cassie sighed in frustration.
"The plan for tomorrow is a night on the town! And I'm not going on a bar crawl with a teetotaller!" Shadow finished closing down his computer and stood up, eyeing his partner through a cocked eyebrow.
"I suppose I have no say in this matter."
"None whatsoever." She replied with a shake of the head and a grin. "Grab your coat Shadz, we're leaving."
"You do know that my lack of a coat makes that saying rather redundant." Shadow said with his usual straight faced approach which Cassie loved.
"True, but I like it anyway." She stood upright and stepped back into the hallway. "Now let's make history: the night Shadow the Hedgehog first got drunk!"
And there we have it.
Yes Zebsolo, Shadow is going to get drunk.
I appreciate your patients and hope that the next few chapters don't disappoint.
That said though, next weekend is going to be really busy so updates might be slightly late.
This is Corrupt TE.
Bye all.