Chapter 8: The Boss
The chameleon sat in the ruins of the two room motel suite, leaning against a wall with watermelon-sized holes in it, while was Tails sprawled out at the center of the room. Espio looked at the window where the gang abducted Cream from, it had small traces of blood on it and had the biggest hole in the room. Espio ran his fingers along his right arm to find his watch, he was still shaking from the attack. He glanced at it for two seconds, 11:34 PM
Espio tried to stand but he was in too much pain, and he looked up at his right arm to see where the bullet entered. His shoulder was still warm with blood and the pain was almost unbearable. There was still no movement from Tails and at this point, Espio was worried he was in a coma or even worse.
The only thing that stuck in the chameleon's mind was the last images he saw a few hours earlier. The sight of Cream trying to fight off the gang, and Tails on the floor, screaming for them to stop. He crawled to Tails' side and rolled up his sleeve to uncover his fingers. Espio put his first two shaky fingers on the fox's neck to check for a pulse, and the second he found it, his wrist was grabbed, Tails was awake and delirious.
"Cream! No, let her go!" The fox was clawing at Espio and screaming.
"Tails, Tails! Relax, it's me!" The chameleon struggled to calm him down.
After a minute of freaking out, Tails slowly snapped out of it and Espio got to his feet, then helped the fox up.
"It wasn't just a bad dream….. they actually took her, didn't they?" Tails stared at the floor where he was lying.
Espio didn't respond, and the fox got his answer.
"We have to get her back, Espio.."
"How? We have no clue who hit us… for all we know those guys could've taken her out of the city by now."
Tails growled and he went to work destroying what was left of the motel suite. He punched more holes in the walls and threw the beds around the room as Espio tried to calm him down.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this...I can't believe we let this happen." Tails sat on a nightstand.
"Well sooner or later, these guys were gonna get sick of vigilantes ripping apart their city."
"Yeah, but - do something like this?"
"Now you've got a taste of what men are capable of, kid."
"I finally won her back, man. It all worked out, and then one of those smoke bombs broke through the window. She jumped up first to get ready for an attack but it was too late.. I could've saved her, Espio…"
Tails stood up and threw the empty smoke bomb cartridge out the already broken window. "Someone HAD to have seen who it was, there's no way they could've been missed."
"On my way out, I saw everyone living here haul ass out of the motel, including that asshole Ron.." Espio rolled up both sleeves of his sweater. "Speak of the devil.."
Tails focused his glare out the front door and spotted the tall hedgehog looking in, and quickly take off running.
Tails flew down the hall after him and grabbed a hold of the hedgehog's coat, then threw him into a wall.
"You have one chance to tell me who that was that came after us, Ron." Tails held the hedgehog by the collar.
"Look, I didn't see nothing man, I-"
Ron was stopped mid sentence when Tails grabbed all of his fingers and bent them backward, earning a howl of agony from the tall hedgehog.
"I swear to god I'll break these damn things, Ron! You'd better give me what I want!"
"AH! Shit, ok OKAY! It was the Cathcarts! That's the biggest gang left in town! Aaaurgh, Please Tails! You're gonna break my fingers!"
Tails let him go and shoved Ron away while Espio walked out of the motel suite and caught up to the fox.
"I'll kill everyone one of them!" The fox yelled out.
"You go after the whole gang, you'll get ripped to pieces." Espio rationalized.
"What am I supposed to do then? We have to get Cream back, Espio!"
"I can help you, but you have to listen to everything I tell you. Be patient and-"
"We don't have time for that bullshit! We have to act now!"
"I just told you, you can't go around looking for these guys, you'll end up dead!"
"Fine, you stay here.. I'm going out there and taking out this big bad gang myself…"
The fox picked up his back pack, sped out of the motel and into the streets, leaving Espio to wait in the lobby to think. Tails' anger got the better of him and he was ready to fight who ever got in his way.
A small light flickered on and off as Cream came to, one of the first things she noticed was the inability to move her right arm. The smell of old rusty machines hit her, making the rabbit cover her nose with her jacket. She got to one knee and saw her right arm trapped in a metal cuff link which was locked to a large metal shipping container. She pulled away at the handcuff but it wouldn't break.
"I wouldn't bother, titanium steel is a hard metal to break without any tools..."
A set of dark blue eyes peered in from the shadows, forcing Cream to slowly turn around.
"You're one of them, eh. Skyline. You and your dimwit buddies have been giving me headache after headache these past few months...serving my men to the cops, cutting off my revenue sources, VANDALIZING MY BUILDINGS-"
The voice got closer to Cream, which only made her more uneasy about the situation. She put one hand in her pocket, looking for something to use for protection. She scanned the dark room one last time for an exit or a way out but there were none.
"I know who you are, Cream. And the fox, he's Sonics' little pal. Maybe I should pay him and your sickly mother a visit tonight, tell them how your doing.."
"NO!" Cream yelled at the man, her scream echoed around the room.
She pulled her hand out of her pocket to reveal her Chao, Cheese, and he flew out toward the dark figures' chest and bit into his shoulder. Cheese is grabbed and thrown to another individual.
"Put it in the bird cage…"
The figure finally stepped out of the shadows and Cream got a good look at him. He was a grey wolf that towered over her and had lanky limbs like a basketball player. He wiped blood from his shoulder with a rag and then tossed it away. He stared down at Cream with a menacing look on his face.
Tails flew around town looking for any gang members who might be patrolling the streets, and then he found what he was looking for: a small pack of thugs down the street from the local park.
Looks like it's a shitty day to be a bad guy…
The fox landed on the ground and picked up a wooden 2x4, then raced towards the gang. He chucked the 2x4 at the heaviest member, and went on the attack; hitting the thugs with his hardest punches, knocking them down fast. He grabbed one by the collar of his jacket and looked at him angrily.
"Where can I find the Cathcart gang?!"
Tails and the beaten gang member headed across town and after an hour they reached an old recycling factory. The gang member walked into the factory first, getting the Cathcart gangs' attention, then Tails walked in after him. They all looked at each other and got out of their seats.
"It's the fox!"
Tails ran toward the gang head on, hoping to get his hands on them but every member suddenly took off in the opposite direction. The fox followed them and shouted in anger as he got closer and closer to grabbing their jackets. The gang members ran off in different directions and Tails could only see one thug ahead so he decided to follow him.
He watched as the thug raced onto a concrete platform with a metal roof so Tails hurried and caught up. He vaulted up onto the concrete platform and just before he could grab the thug, thick metal bars quickly shot up in front of him. Tails turned around and was stopped by more bars on the other three sides. He tried his best to bend and break the bars but they didn't budge.
The gang then walked back wielding sub machine guns, and Tails froze.
"Ah shit!..." He said.
"Boss, we have the fox locked in the courtyard!" an eagle in a wheel chair called out as he entered the dark room with Cream and the wolf.
The wolf grinned at her. "Let me watch as you cut him to pieces."
"Yes sir!" the eagle turned his wheel chair around. "Get a security camera on him, now!"
"I'm gonna enjoy watching your boyfriend die.." The wolf grabbed a chair and switched on a small light above.
A large T.V monitor turned on in the room with the image of a giant cage, 6 gang members holding guns and the fox inside the cage staring down their barrels.
"Tails!" Cream shouted as she looked at the T.V.
"Turn on the P.A system. I want to speak to him." The wolf told the eagle.
Tails looked at the gang members holding guns and down at his back pack. "Maybe we can talk this out, guys.."
He slowly reached into his bag, grabbing for something he could use to help. He felt the edges of the crystal cut Chaos emeralds then grinned.
"Hey, what are you-"
The fox ducked down and aimed his emeralds at the bars of the cage, then shot a red shard of energy at the gang. Two guys flew backward and hit a wall, then the remaining thugs opened fire until the boss shouted over the P.A system.
"Hold your fire!" The wolf ordered over the speaker, forcing his men to stand down. "What the hell are those things you got there, boy?"
Tails looked up at the camera and then back at the emeralds. "Oh, you mean THESE?"
Tails fired once more, missing the gang by inches and they returned fire but the wolf yelled into the P.A system for them to stop. The Cathcart's boss stood up and looked at Cream, then picked up her backpack, finding two more emeralds.
"What are these?"
"Gems from King Neptune's crown..." Cream answered sarcastically.
"Alright, go ahead and kill Barnacle Boy."
"Wait!...(sigh) they're called Chaos Emeralds."
"What are they worth?"
Tails looked at the security camera. "They aren't worth a cent, buddy!"
"That's why you're hanging on to them for dear life, right."
Tails didn't answer, and the wolf looked at the T.V monitor.
"Hand them over, and I'll make sure you die quickly."
Tails hesitated for a minute as he examined the emeralds, then he cautiously stood up. He made his way to the bars while a gang member put his hand out so Tails could give him the emeralds. The fox glanced back at security camera and put up his middle finger instead. Cream closed her eyes as the wolf smirked.
"Lets see how fast you can move, boy! SHOOT THIS PRICK!"
Tails flew backwards to avoid the first round of shots, but the gang wielded more firepower than Tails could take. He put both Chaos Emeralds in his hands and shut his eyes as he tried his best to dodge the wall of bullets. He moved at super sonic speed and could avoid the gunfire, for the time being.
The gang members couldn't believe what they were seeing, but this didn't stop them from continuing to spray bullets into the cage. The only time he'd get breathing room was when the thugs would reload, unfortunately they had quite the arsenal with them. Tails jumped off the bars and back flipped around the cage, avoiding certain death but eventually his speed wore off and he had trouble keeping up.
The fox tried use the emeralds again but nothing happened, then he felt the burning pain as lead entered his body. He flew into the back of cage and crumbled down.
"Ha-HA! Good try, boy! Now finish him off!"
Blood spilled from Tails' mouth and just before the killing blow came, the thugs were suddenly under attack. Tails looked up to see Espio disarming them and tossing ninja stars everywhere. He cleared the alleyway and tossed their weapons inside a dumpster. The wolf snarled in anger at the sight and walked to the eagle in the wheel chair.
"Is the fox dead?!"
Espio hook kicked the metal bars multiple times until they started to bend, and he entered the cage. He knelt beside Tails and pressed another Emerald to his chest so he could absorb the energy and helped him up.
"Impossible!"
Cream sighed in relief as she watched Tails stand up and exit the cage. He flew up to the security camera and started talking to it, but nothing could be heard.
"I believe he's talking to you, Harvey." the eagle looked at the wolf.
The wolf rolled his eyes and looked at the monitor. "Lets hear it then..."
"...I'll find you, asshole, wherever you're hiding! You just started a war!"
The wolf smashed the T.V monitor and walked out of the room, laughing wildly to himself. Cream tensed up and backed away from the wolf, Harvey, as he came back in.
"He wants a war? Alright, fine with me. But let me tell you this, the last memory you'll have of Tails will be him on his knees BEGGING for a bullet!...Kilo!"
The room went silent for a few seconds, then a door opened and heavy footsteps came closer and closer to the dark room. A massive wolf twice as wide with muscle entered the room holding a metal chain. Harvey held up a tablet with security camera screenshots of Tails and Espio.
"Take your team out and find me a small fox in a stupid looking hat and his buddy, the alcoholic chameleon. The fox is mine, but you can have the ninja for a punching bag, understood?"
"Not a problem, Harv." Kilo answered as he took the tablet and left.
"I bet you three came here thinking you were going to put an end to crime in Two Gates City. You're going to be an example of why you don't fuck with the boss."
Harvey walked away from Cream and slammed the door, leaving her alone in the room.
Tails ripped the security camera off the wall and threw it on the ground, then landed on the ground beside Espio.
"Dude, I got shot like, 20 times and I'm still standing. It was like I was invincible or.. holy shit, I think that's my special ability! I'm invincible!" Tails said excitedly.
"That's great, kid.." Espio walked away from him.
"Hey, thanks for saving my ass though, man. I thought I was done-"
"Don't." Espio stopped Tails. "I told you these guys would rip you apart, but you didn't listen, did ya. You wanted to be free-wheeling badass and look where that got ya."
Tails stopped and looked at the chameleon. "Espio, I.. look I know and I'm sorry. I just wanted to get Cream back-"
"What good are you if you're dead?" Espio spit on the ground. "Maybe I should just take off, get away from this city, and you.." Espio started to walk away.
"Espio no. Please don't leave. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, but I need your help.."
"Why should I help you? I'm not going to keep saving your ass every hour, and I'm damn sure not going to bury you then tell Sonic you got yourself killed out here. So tell me, why should I help you?"
Tails sighed. "Because.. you and Cream are all I have left. Without her, or you.. I'm nothing." Tails put his head down. "You guys are my last friends and.."
"You listen to EVERYTHING I tell you. Don't argue, no heroic shit, just listen and do as I say. You wanna get her back alive, we play this my way."
Tails looked up and Espio extended his hand to the fox. They shook hands and quickly left the alley. They put on their hoods and walked down back streets until they reached the abandoned factory they first stayed in the night they met. Espio watched over Tails as he took a well needed recovery nap, then they were right back to work.