(AN: Hello Fellow readers. SirRedFox here posting a new installment of "The Long Hustle Vol. 2." First off, if you're reading this, YOU'RE AWESOME! And, thank you.
In the last chapter we got the test results of a particular panda. We learned that Madge Badger is willing to testify. Skye and Jack have to secure her safety. Jack tells Skye of his worries, and Skye comforts him throughout the night.
So enjoy this new chapter of "The Long Hustle: Vol. 2, The Empire & The Emperor." And please, fill free to leave a review or comment. Thank you.)
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Fast and Furry:
Jack wakes up before the crack of dawn. He was all alone. Skye had decided to leave to get things ready for Madge Badgers transport. The condo apartment was silent and felt cold without Skye around. Jack's thoughts kept going over the one hundred and one reasons things could go wrong today.
Their car blows up, or Madge suddenly has a heart attack, or worse she's attacked. No point laying in bed and thinking about all the bad things that might come. He gets out of the bed and heads to the bathroom. He takes a cold shower. He needed something to wake him up and get his head straight. He needed absolute focus. He got out of the shower and dried himself off, making his fur fluff up. He combed it down and looked at himself in the mirror.
Everything is going to be fine, he told himself. He finished up in the bathroom and stepped outside. He fashioned on his black pants and button up white shirt. He knotted and straightened his tie and slid his black ZBI jacket on.
At Precinct one, Jack could not find Skye anywhere. He gave her a call on his cellphone. She said she's getting the SUV ready in the parking garage. It was time. No reason to put it off any more.
Jack grabbed a bullet proof vest from a rack and headed down to the cells. Marching up to Madge Badger's cell. One of the officers opened the cell for him. Madge just sat on her cot looking at Jack.
"Put this on" Jack said in a heavy demanding tone. Tossing the bullet proof vest at Madge. She did as Jack demanded and put the vest on. Next came the cuffs. With a little assistance from the Officer, they had the female badger handcuffed from her wrist to her ankles. Jack moved her down the hallway to the parking garage, quickly. There was no time to waste. Skye would be waiting for him and Madge in a large black SUV.
He arrived to see the SUV Skye waited for them in. Putting Madge in the back and hopped into the front passenger seat next to Skye. Without a word being said, Skye put the car in drive and off to Savannah Central. Madge positioned herself in the center of the back seat.
"Does this mean I'll be getting my pardon?" Madge asked.
"If what you tell us checks out, then yes" Jack said. "you'll be put into witness protection and the Medical Board considers reinstating your medical license."
"Good, because if I know Shere Khan he's going to put this city through hell and back, and in its' rightful place, under his foot."
"that's not going to happen" he said. "I'm going to make sure that never happens."
"Such reassurance. You don't know him like I do. Those metal claws of his, who do think he got to perform such a surgery. He told me what happened to his original, natural if you say, claws. His foster parents did not like the way he stood up against them, so they decided to declaw him with an old declawing device. He was only thirteen at the time. It wouldn't be till years later he takes his revenge. Killed both his foster parents. He says crushed his father, breaking nearly every bone in his body, and the mother he slowly smothered her death. Of course there's no way to prove any of this. You think you know what you are up against, but you have no idea."
Skye cursed as she slammed on the break. Jack didn't know what was going on but quickly grabbed hold of door handle. Not wanting to fly off the seat and propel through the windshield.
Two bikers had just cut her off from both sides. The two bikers were both riding an Alpha-T Racer bikes, black. Hard to tell what two mammals riding the bikes were. Each biker dressed in thick leather along with boots and gloves just as thick. The helmets they wore solid casing with reflective visors. Jack can tell that the rider on the black bike was a gazelle, only because his antlers stuck out of the helmet.
Skye cursed again under her breath, for no one to hear but Jack. She apologize for her outburst and adjusted the car back onto the road. She took to the middle lane. Just as she merged over, so did the two bikers. Skye bit her lip and gave a loud angry grunt. The bikers were testing her patience. As long as they got to the safe house, Jack didn't care or mind that much.
Jack looked out the window and into the side mirror. In his side mirror appeared another biker, this one also rode a black Alpha-T bike. Seeing this new biker made his stomach feel heavy with lead. He had a bad gut sensation that something was not right.
He looked out the left side windows. Sure enough there another biker. Same model and get up only this one rode of a white motor bike. Jack quickly spun around and looked out the back window. Two more bikers. Jack slowly reached for his firearm and pulled it out of its' holster, not wanting to panic anyone. His gut might be wrong. Bikers always like traveling in a pack, right? But most bikers don't block drivers from every side. Skye slowed down at a red traffic light, behind the two bikers in front.
"Skye, do you have your side-arm" Jack said. Skye a resounding yes to him. She flip open her jacket to show that her silver Glock 9mm was at her side. "Good. Because I think we're about experience a bad case of road rage."
The two front came to a stop at the red light. Skye did the same with the SUV, along with the rest of the bikers. The two front bikers hit their kickstands out and dismounted from their bikes. Jack can see it coming, it just not a feeling anymore. The two bikers turned toward the car with Heckler & Koch submachine guns in each one's hands and open fired.
A spray of bullets pierce threw the windshield. Jack probably could've gotten off a shot before the two bikers open fired. He's main concern though was Skye. He made a fast move and pulled Skye down out of the way of the swarm of bullets. Madge ducked down onto the SUV floor as well. The front windshield burst inward, showering them with little glass pellets.
Ducked down, he sees the accelerator pedal to the car. He pushed it down as hard and as far as it would go, all the way to the floor board. The wheels made a loud screech. The vehicle accelerate forward just as a barrage of bullets came from every side shattering every window of the SUV. The vehicle crashed hard into one of the bikers, sending him flying on top of the car hood. Skye did her best to steer while having her head ducked down. Not until they hear the last of crackling gun fire die did they pull there heads up.
They were driving through downtown Savanna Central. Skye kicked Jacks hand off the pedal and pushed it to the floor with her foot. Skye swerved left and right, avoiding hitting any other vehicle. Every other car honked loudly at them.
The biker that landed on the hood of the car held on tight. He pointed the Heckler & Koch machine gun into the vehicle. Jack with lightening speed grabbed the barrel of the Heckler & Koch and pointed it upward. A burst of fire shot out of the barrel, bullets piercing through the roof. Jack placed his foot on the biker's helmet and with a powerful kick sent the biker tumbling forward off the front end of the SUV. The wheel jumped up as it ran over the biker.
Madge poked her head up only for Jack to push her back down, telling her to stay down. He turned his head around, everyone of the motorcyclist racing after them. The center biker was gaining speed and gaining on their tail. The biker raised his arm where clutched in his hand an IWI UZI Pro. The black steal gleaming in the sunlight open firing. The sound of bullets piercing into the car's backside. He raised and aimed his Glock 9mm out the back window firing three rounds. They hit the biker square in the chest. The motorcycle swiveled before crashing into a parked car. That was their advantage over this hit squad.
They might have the better fire power, but it doesn't mean diddley-squat if you can't properly aim and hit your target. Jack smiled with glee for a moment, seconds before being tossed to the left and right from Skye's driving. Doing all she can to stay in her lain and not to oncoming traffic. The bikers however diverted the motor vehicles with ease. The next two bikers closing in also carried UZI Pros and open fired. Their method was a sloppy spray and pray method of hitting their target. Jack ducked down again voiding their on slaught of bullets. One biker quickly coming up on the right side of the SUV. Only a few more feet and all he would have to do is stick the UZI in the window and fire. The other biker stayed behind the vehicle and continued firing.
"Skye on the count of three I want you slam on to the breaks" Jack said.
"Okay?" She nodded her head.
"THREE!" Jack said shouting it out to be clearly heard.
Skye slammed on the brakes just as Jack kicked open his door. The SUV came to a screeching halt where the bikers kept at their fast pace. The right side biker was the first to go. Slamming into the passenger door straight on, ripping the car door off its hinges and making the biker fly through the air like a projectile missile. Crashing head first into the back windshield of a parked car. The biker from behind also slammed into the SUV sending the upper half of his body through the back windshield. Sadly, bikers black and white swerved out of the way avoiding the SUV. Skye, already back to hitting the pedal all the way down. Moving forward the biker's feet drag on the highway asphalt. It was Skye's turn to take a shot bringing this hit squad down. She whipped her Glock around and fired three rounds. All three rounds hit the center of the motor cycle helmet's reflective visor. The biker sunk backward and fell out of the moving car, dead. Turning her attention back to the road her and Jack both see the white and black bikers stopped up ahead. This time they were aiming before firing and they weren't aiming for Skye, or Jack, or even Madge who still hungered down on the floor. No this time they were playing it smart and aiming at the SUV's tires.
The front two tires give a loud POP! The vehicle swerved hard to the right. Skye tried gaining control of the SUV, but it was too late. The car scrapes the first two parked cars and collides full force into third car. The entire right side of the SUV flew upward and twisted, turning the car on its' back. The car landed hard upside down on the asphalt. Sparks and broken glass flew into their face as the car skidded to a stop.
Jack was the first to regain his senses. Every part of him hurt and his forehead wet with blood. Looking around and seeing Skye starting to wake up with groans of pain. Madge was blacked out cold. His ear's twitched at the sound of a pair of boots marching towards them. His gun! That's what he needed and quick. Searching the turned over vehicle. The boots were getting louder. There, his gun, just in reach of his finger tips. He stretched his arms far out, but still only able to nudge the gun with his fingers. The marching boots stopped at the back door and was replaced with sound of metal scrapping against asphalt. He felt his fingers finally wrap around the grip of his gun. The door flew open and standing there was the biker aiming his UZI at Madge and a hand grenade in the other. Jack whipped his gun up and blindly fired. He didn't stop firing till his gun made a click click noise, emptying an entire clip into the biker. The biker fell backwards, dead, releasing the grenade in his hand. The grenade exploded in the middle of the street, kicking up dirt and asphalt in a giant cloud. Through the cloud came a barrage of bullets that ricocheted, skipped, and skimmed around his head. It was the black biker, the gazelle. The firing stopped the gazelle looked down at his weapon to see he had no more ammo.
"Skye, are you o-"
"I'm fine," Skye said, weak and barely able to talk. "Just go get him."
Jack didn't question her judgment. He crawled out of the flipped SUV, scraping his arms on asphalt and broken pieces of glass. He crawled till he was out of the vehicle. Ejecting the clip from the Glock and popping in a brand new fresh one. The gazelle saw the ZBI agent rise from the wreckage and considered his Heckler & Koch sub-machine gun a lost cause and tossed on the ground. But that didn't mean he was giving up yet. The gazelle roared up his motorcycle and fled full throttle. Jack was in pain, but he was not ready to give up either. He limped over to the white motorcycle and hopped on.
The bike confused him at first as it meant for a larger mammal. He remembers learning how to ride and bike and remembering how he taught his sister. The same principals must still apply. Keep your center balanced and all that. Fumbling with all the buttons and levers till he found the throttle. Once he found the throttle he ramped it up and sped after the gazelle.
It took him less than a minute to catch up to the gazelle and his black motorbike. The gazelle leading through heavy populated areas. Even exit off the road and on to the sidewalk. Mammals of every size jump out of the way of the two motorbikes. Jack was almost right behind him when the gazelle made a sudden right turn into a parking garage. He followed the gazelle up up and up to the roof top parking lot. Making a sharp right turn the bike tipped over tossing Jack from the vehicle and the bike skidding away. The gazelle drove to the far side of the building and turned around, facing Jack.
He was cornered. There was no place for him to go but through Jack. The buck bunny got up on his feet and pointed his Glock at the gazelle biker.
"Hands! Let me see your hands!" Jack shouted, demanding the gazelle to back down.
Instead, the gazelle ramped up the bikes throttle. Jack couldn't believe it. The gazelle was going to try and jump and land the motor bike on top the next building beside the parking garage. Jack looks at the parked car he was going to use as a ramp. The gazelle ramped up the engine and went full throttle towards Jack who open fired at the gazelle. He didn't hit the biker but able to shoot the bike. The gazelle lost his speed and balance and tipped over as he past Jack. The gazelle and the bike skidded across the asphalt, not stopping till him and the bike slammed against the parking roofs guardrail. Now he was corned. The gazelle had no where to go.
"Hands!" Jack shouted at the gazelle biker. "It's over! Back down and put your hands up!"
The gazelle biker picked himself up and stared at Jack. He slowly unbuckled and took off his helmet. The gazelle looked at him with his deep hazel eyes . He dropped the helmet at his feet. Staring at Jack for a good moment. Then he slowly took a step back.
"Don't move! Don't Move!" Jack shouted pointing his gun and taking a hard stance. The gazelle did not stop moving, but took another step backwards, then another, until he stood on top of the railing.
Wait! Don't Move!" Jack shouted. No, don't do this, Jack thought. The gazelle still didn't stop taking another step. Please don't do this. The gazelle leaned back and took a final step. This time it off the railing and falling. Jack rushed over and looked over the railing. The gazelle biker was flat out dead. A small group of Mammals that witnessed the fall started making a crowd around the dead gazelle. Jack took in a deep breath. Through this whole event he finally got a moment to breathe. The chase was over, there was nothing else to be done.
Jack looked down at the body. He must have been really scared to go back unsuccessful in his objective if jumping of a building was better choice. Sirens in the background. Once he was done talking to the The ZPD about the incident he would ask one of the officers to drive him back to where he left Skye.
Arriving on the scene ZPD officers and ZBI agents were everywhere. An unconscious Madge Badger strapped to a gurney and being loaded up in to the back of an ambulance. He hears his name called out soft in a soft tender voice. It was Skye, she had cuts and bruises on her body and her left arm was in a sling. One paramedic came up to examine the cut on his forehead. The blood on his face had dried and the cut on his forehead had clotted.
"Skye" Jack said. "are you okay?"
"Yeah" she said. "It's just a sprain." She lifted her left arm up a little and winced in pain.
"Jack, Skye"
They heard their names called out. They both turn to see Nala and Wilford approach them, and behind them was director M with a disgruntled look on his face.
"Well agent Savage, agent Skye. You two really out did yourself this time. Turned all of down town Savannah Central into a goddamn war zone." Jack wanted to speak up in protest but was quickly shot down. It wasn't Skye or Jack's planned on being in a shoot out in downtown Savanna Central. "The only good thing to come out of all this mess is you managed to save our witness. Though paramedics say she banged her head head pretty badly, don't know when she will wake up." Director M coughs into his handkerchief, loud and hard. "Reports" he hacks and coughs. "Reports in the morning." Jack and Skye both give a loud sigh and 'yes sir' in response. Director M walks away hacking into his handkerchief.
"Jeez" Wilford said. "The guy doesn't even give you a break after being in a shoot out."
"Are you alright?" Nala asked.
"Sore, but I think we'll be alright" Skye said.
Jack ignored Nala and Wilford, finding something else of interest. He walks around the flipped over SUV and goes by the Heckler & Koch gun laying on the ground. The black metal shine, glistened in the sun's rays. He looks at it a little puzzled.
"Hey Sky," he said. "Come take a look at this." Skye came over along with Wilford and Nala. "Take a look at these weapons" he said, as his held up the Heckler & Koch gun. "Doesn't something about them seem off to you?"
The three mammals were now looking at gun puzzled. Nala took the gun into her hands and inspecting it. When it came to firearms, she was an expert.
"These are high grade military style weapons. These are not simple gangster guns that one can find in a back alley or in some mammals' van. Where could they have gotten them?"
"Hmm" Wilford pondered. "I might know one mammal that might be able to score weapons this good. Dan Turner, a gray timber wolf. We arrested him a long time ago. He's a lot of things: bookie, con-artist, but what he loves most was selling unregistered firearms. He might be back to doing his old game selling guns."
"Find him and bring him in for questioning" Skye said.
"Right away" Wilford said. "Still, Dan Turner never had this type of firepower before. He had to acquire them from some type of supplier."
"Oh, shit" Nala said, surprising everyone with her out burst. She looked at everyone of them with a scared or worried look on her face. "I think I know exactly where one can acquire such high tech firepower such as these. At my husbands company. At Priderock Incorporated.''
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(AN: Thank you for reading, and Thank you for reading this. Again, YOU'RE AWESOME! I hope you enjoyed this new installment, I do try leaving you, the reader, with wanting more.
In the next installment, Nick gets a history lesson, challenges Shere Khan to a chess match, and makes his first delivery of Blue Sky.
As I said before, please leave a commit on how you'd rather have future chapters come out, or a simple review letting me know what you think. Thank you!
- SirRedFox)