Chapter 5: I know, I'll never forget
--
Matt awoke in the same exotically themed room he'd fallen asleep in. The bed was comfortable, but the walls were covered in pictures from some sort of island.
All of them featured a woman of echidna race, baring a striking resemblance to Knuckles. As a matter of fact, Knuckles was on some of the photos. Perhaps they were related?
Matt yawned and stretched his sore wings carefully. The cut he'd received to the gut had stopped aching, but still hurt at certain angles.
Making his way out of the room, he noticed the bird woman from yesterday. He'd never had a real chance of getting to know them before, since he crashed into bed almost immediately after arriving... wherever he was.
"Good morning." She smiled. "Sleep well?"
"I don't know..." Matt rubbed his head, realizing how stupid his answer had been. "Got an aspirin?"
"Uhh, sure. Come with me to the kitchen." She began walking the same way she was headed before Matt came out. He followed behind her, noting the graceful movements and dashingly white wings.
The reached the kitchen and Matt took a seat as she went to fetch a glass of water and the headache pill.
He couldn't help but wonder where he was. The place looked like some sort of facility, with metallic walls reeking of headquarters.
This is a hideout, Matt figured. But to whom?
The green hedgehog from yesterday came from the same corridor Matt had walked a minute ago.
"What a great morning." He stated. Matt couldn't tell whether he was being ironic or not.
"Yeah, I kinda noticed." Matt replied, propping his feet on the table.
"So, how do you like it here?" The hedgehog asked politely, repeating Matt's motion.
"Well, It's very cozy, but what're you hiding?"
"You catch on quick." He replied, chuckling lightly. "This is our headquarters and base of command."
"So I see." Matt said, arching an eyebrow. "But who are you?"
"We are the Enforcers, a kind of mercenary squad working for the law."
"Federal hitmen?"
"No, no. The police usually call us in when they don't want to risk any men." He explained.
"I totally understand what you mean." Matt truly did, but didn't know why. "How many of you are there?"
"Well, Storm's the lieutenant and second in command..." As he said this, Storm appeared with the pills Matt had "ordered". He took them both at the same time without water.
"How's the headache?" Storm asked Matt, who nodded.
"Easing up, thanks to you." He snickered and she blushed slightly. Turbo coughed politely and regained Matt's attention.
"Then there's Drake, a... well, special kid." Turbo shrugged. "At any rate, he's fast and silent."
"You mean silent and deadly." Matt filled.
"Oh, he couldn't hurt a fly. Unless the fly hurt him first, of course."
"That's true." Storm filled in. All three smiled.
"And who else? Oh yeah. Trish. She's strong. Very strong." The hedgehog tried finding better words, but that's all he came up with. "You slept in her room. She's on vacation right now."
"You know, I kinda figured that." Matt said, scratching his chin and once again got astonished by his goatee. "I'm just wondering, who are you?"
"Me? My name is Joseph, but call me Turbo." Turbo said.
"That's an odd name." Matt stated. "Are you fast like Sonic?" He remarked ironically.
"No, The chief of police began calling him that because he has a knack for making snap descicions." Storm smiled at him.
"How about you then, Mr. Matt?" Turbo asked. "What do you do for a living?"
Matt thought for a while.
"Nothing, really. I'm a good shot, though." I think, Matt added to himself.
"Really? How good?" Storm asked.
"Well..." Dammit, how good am I actually? What the hell. "I can hit a person 10 yards away... with my eyes closed."
Both oohed.
"But, I'm not sure I can prove it to you." Matt said emptily.
"Why not?"
"Because I haven't got a gun."
"We have plenty 'round here." Turbo said.
"Yeah well, It can't be just any gun." Matt tried to drop the subject.
"What specific one would you need?" Turbo questioned, leaning over the table.
Matt realized that he was talking to an expert and leaned in closer as well.
"A .44 Colt Python?"
"It's yours if you help us." Turbo said, leaning away.
"Wait, who said I was gonna help you?" Matt realized. "I was just talking about by gun."
"Yeah, I guess." Turbo sighed. "It's just that our last gunman, Karlos, lost in a duel to one of Trici's subordinates."
"That sucks..." Wait a second... "Hey, did you say Trici?"
"Umm, yes." Turbo replied. "Wait, you know her?"
"Yes and no." Matt began, and explained the situation. "... So I don't know what she knows about me, but I need to know."
"Five years, that's a long time to be gone..." Storm said sadly.
"If that's the case, We'll help you out." Turbo stood up. "We have to get to Trici and confront her."
"But she never stays in one place." Storm pointed out. "We can't seem to pinpoint her."
"Maybe I can." Matt looked up. "She doesn't know about this and us. Maybe if I play along, she'll take me the wherever she calls home. When I get there..."
"... We can rush in and get her." Turbo added, hammering his fist into his palm.
"But you gotta be careful not to blow your cover, Matt." Storm warned. "If anything goes wrong... We've seen what she can do. It's nothing nice."
Matt shivered.
"You have to find a safe place to stay where we can reach you. Someplace usual and indistinctive."
Matt thought about his options. The picture of a wolf appeared. "I think I know a place..."
"Great." Turbo said.
"You can reach us with this number." Storm added, handing Matt a note with a number scribbled on it. "Call if anything happens."
"You bet. I'll be seeing you." Matt got up and shook hands with them.
As he left, Turbo and Storm looked at each other.
"Do you think this is a good idea, Storm?" Turbo asked apprehensively.
Storm patted his back. "Yeah, I think he's just the lead we need to get Trici for good."
"Hmm." Turbo put his face in his palms and realized... "Wait, how's he supposed to get home?"
He went over to the window and saw Matt slowly walking the road away from the complex. Turbo chuckled to himself.
"That's one proud man. Doesn't have a clue where he is, but won't even go back to ask for a ride." He smiled.
"Just who we need."
--
Felicia closed the last phone book. Out of all the addresses and numbers, there was absolutely no trace of Matt. She sighed reluctantly, sliding deeper into her seat.
She'd looked all over town for him, searching every nook and cranny, gotten thrown out of every bar, and yelled at by every drunk. She had finally given up and retreated home, knowing that she'd missed her shot.
She heaved another sigh. Now that she had some actually valuable info, he was nowhere to be found.
"Damn, where'd he go?" She mumbled. I guess if he's been gone for five years he'd be used to not being around but... He did leave me hanging. Sorta.
She spun around on her chair a few laps, getting dizzy and falling off. When she got up, her world was still spinning. It even looked like Matt was standing in the doorway.
"Wow. That'd just be unreal." She said out loud. "I've been looking for him all over, and then he just appears at my door."
"Excuse me?" He replied.
"Great, now my illusion's talking to me. Have you seen a tall bat around here?" She asked ironically.
"I'm standing right here." Matt said, arching an eyebrow.
"Yeah right." Her world slowed down, and she began to realize... "Wait, are you real?"
"I... think so?"
She slowly walked over to him and pinched his cheek.
"Ouch! Hey, that hurts."
"Good god!" She cried, jumping onto him. "I thought you were gone forever!"
"Well, I wish I was now..." He said, finding it hard to breathe with a wolf on his chest.
"I found out some info." Felicia said, getting off him and fetching a piece of paper where she'd written the address of Bad Luck and Rouge.
"What does this mean?" Matt asked, eyeing the note.
"I found out about Rouge. She works at the club written right there!" Felicia smiled happily.
Matt raised his eyebrows. "Gee, uhh... Thanks."
"No problem. Glad to help." She said. "What's your next move?"
"Well uhh..." Matt uttered. "I... Don't know, really." He said, sitting down on her bed.
"Why did you come back anyway?" Felicia asked. "Did you miss me?" She smirked.
"Hardly." Matt replied, making Felicia poke her tongue out at him.
"What I really came for was to ask if I could live here for a while." Matt pressed out.
Felicia shone up. "Of course!"
"Dewie said it was OK if I asked you, since I'll be using your pillows."
"What, mine? Can't he give one up?"
"Guess not." Matt snatched one from his side but Felicia dove in and grabbed the rest.
"No more!" She protested. "The rest belong to ME!"
"We'll see about that, kid!" Matt challenged, smashing her in the face with the one he'd taken.
She gasped and retorted. The pillow fight soon escalated to a pillow war, with small feathers flying everywhere.
At last, Matt took one too many pillows to the head and fell.
"Noo! I won't die! I CAN'T DIE!" He screamed. Felicia threw herself over his makeshift barricade, frantically yelling;
"FALCOOON PILLOW!" As the force of her cushion struck Matt, Dewie came into the room and yelped in fear.
"FELICIA!"
And the world exploded.
--
"Look, I'm sorry for the whole pillow thing." Matt began. "I'll replace it."
"You'd better." Dewie sneered.
Felicia came in with the now emptied wastebasket, previously used to transport feathers from her room to the trash.
"OK, OK. I promise it won't happen again." Matt raised his hands as a sign of giving up. Dewie looked at him seriously and went back to his bedroom.
"Damn, I sure messed up this time." Matt sighed.
"Don't sweat it, worse things have happened." Felicia comforted him.
They sat down and Matt told her about Trici and the Enforcers, their deal and how he needed to lay low for a while, undetected.
"Trici Tora?" Felicia wondered. "She's just famous for being famous." She sneered.
"I thought as much from her appearance." Matt stated. His belly urged a question.
"Have you got any smokes?" He pleaded.
"Well yeah, you want one?" Felicia asked.
"Do I." He sighed of relief as she went to get her packet.
Matt went out onto the balcony and looked out over the city. He remembered flying high above these rooftops once. Now he felt weak and pathetic, knowing that the pain from spreading his wings would probably kill him if he tried.
He drew a deep breath. Felicia arrived with the cigarettes and they took one each. Matt savored the familiar taste and looked over at his newfound companion.
"Dewie." Matt began. "He isn't your real father, is he?"
Matt had noticed the differences. Felicia was short and somewhat round both to the face and body while Dewie, on the other hand, was tall and slim, like a pencil.
Felicia looked down with her eyes closed. Something about her face seemed to chime in Matt, he knew her from before, but not exactly from where.
"I don't remember them." She finally said.
"How come?"
"Dewie's told me some but..." This was obviously a painful subject.
"You don't have to tell me-" Matt suggested, but Felicia started anyway.
"Apparently they were killed. They were into some kind of... business, as it was later found out." She explained, flicking a piece of ash off her cigarette. "Dirty money and stuff like that. Dewie won't tell me any more."
"Damn, that's tough..." Matt grimaced, realizing he could feel empathy.
"I wish I could remember anything about them, but it all just goes black when I ponder it." She said emotionlessly. "Doctors call it shock and mental disorientation."
Was that a tear falling?
She tried to smile, but Matt felt a weird urge. Some kind of... pull? Something that needed to be done?
Following the feeling of compassion he opened his arms. She stepped forward and embraced him. It felt a little odd, but still like the right thing to do.
"Hey, don't worry." Matt said softly. "It's fine."
Her smile warmed him. Made him feel a little better. A little happier.
After that, they stared at the night in complete silence before saying goodnight and heading to their beds. Well, Matt had the couch, but anyway.
Whatever happened, Matt hoped that in the end, somehow would find peace for his soul and mind.
--
Notes:
Hey hey!
Now Matt's a double agent? Hmm. I'll see what deeds I'll have him do in the future... But for now you all just wait. There's a major twist coming up, Hehe.
Soon, my friends, soon...
/Matti
PS. The pillow part;
"Noo! I won't die! I CAN'T DIE!" He screamed. Felicia threw herself over his makeshift barricade, frantically yelling;
"FALCOOON PILLOW!" As the force of her cushion struck Matt, Dewie came into the room and yelped in fear.
"FELICIA!"
... Is actually just a revamped version of the popular Captain Falcon scene, where Falcon jumps out of his ship and punches the bad guy's face in, while Falcon's teammate calls his name out in a stupid Japanese tone. In case you didn't know. Just search for "Falcon Punch" on YouTube and you'll find it. DS.
AND BY THE F*CKING WAY! DROP A REVIEW! PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE!
I beg of you...