Chapter Six
Alastair stood in front of the trio that were confirmed to be Sleuth Dogg, Scourge and Maggie Bloodmoon. The men had been marked for death by Slayton, and their friend had been helping them stockpile weapons as well as evade The Chambers through her networks.
This trio had been severely beaten by the Riotcall squad and shackled with heavy chains to prevent escape. As the ward leader phoned his superior to report back, it was abundantly clear these individuals were not the real deal.
"Do you have them?" Nero asked.
"They sent decoys in their place. Your intel was wrong."
"Fuckin' hell, I've had it with these FAILURES! I want them found, Alastair! Do this or you'll be joining them on that kill list!"
Al hung up and put his phone away. One of his men approached to ask for orders.
"Sir?"
"Load up, we're doing rounds for the rest of the day. They're here, we just have to turn over every stone."
"And the decoys?"
"Do what you wish."
The large man climbed inside an APC vehicle and exchanged weapons from a metal crate. His squad converged over the beaten trio and the violence ensued.
At Hang Castle, Rouge bombarded Shadow with questions while following him through the third floor hallways. He grew annoyed with her but kept his stance about leaving.
"…so you tell me, what is so special about this place? Why don't you wanna leave?" She asked.
"Clearly you've never ventured too far inside these walls. You haven't seen it."
"Seen what?"
"The gate. I've discovered it's link to the other worlds, although I lack the tools to traverse safely."
The bat looked at the painting Shadow had his eyes on for a moment. "…are you high? Did these Flock guys hook you up with some magic mushrooms?"
Shadow shook his head and exhaled. "I see I'll have to show you. Follow closely."
"Oh, field trip. Lead the way."
The black hedgehog slid his fingertips across the brick wall as he walked, feeling for a hidden switch. Once he found it, he pushed a section into the wall like a button, and two hidden doors slid open. Rouge shielded her eyes from the light until it dimmed enough to see through. Shadow stepped through the gate first so she stayed with him. They disappeared into a fog for a few moments and returned. The look on Rouge' face showed she couldn't believe what she'd just seen.
"Holy shit, you aren't high," she exclaimed. "That was more than one world in there-"
"Infinite worlds. On my travels, I've learned that this world is labeled Mobius Prime. Moebius is our doppelgänger world and Anti Mobius is what's left of our war torn trinity."
"…what about the rest?"
"I haven't traveled any further."
"Why not?"
"I can't advance without an energy source that can protect me from the waves that separate each world. Our chaos emeralds would allow that, in theory."
"Then let's go get 'em!"
Shadow smirked sarcastically. "…as I've said. We're stuck here."
"Trapped? By who, the Wrong Turn gang? Screw these guys, we can take 'em!"
Shadow took a seat on a bench and leaned on the wall. "If that inferno in the basement is any indication, than we're likely to suffer a similar fate as your friend if we defy The Flock."
"Espio has a super suit, he's fine-" Rouge suddenly remembered the chameleon split off. "Shit! We gotta find him!"
"Have fun out there."
Rouge grasped his wrist and tried to pull him back to his feet. "Shadow, I'm seriously tired of your moody pre teen attitude. We can do more than sit on our asses, come on!"
"I have no faith left. We're doomed to roam these halls for eternity. Leave me to it."
Rouge let go. "I never thought I'd see you give up. But here we are."
"Here we are."
A few miles away, Sleuth Dogg raised his AR-15 and cleared each wide hallway inside the deserted shopping mall. The anthropomorphic canine lost the muscle he'd built as a bully mastiff, due to years of running from death. His eyes sank low, hideous scars made up half of his face and his right ear was cut off, along with his tail. He once filled out his combat gear but now he resembled a drug addict wearing fatigues.
Dogg touched his left ear to speak into a comm, report to his allies and continue. The 'mall security' had been gunned down and the small gang residing fled from the former assassin. He had the entire mall to himself for the time being. Dogg laid mines around corners and walked inside a bar on the first floor. Memories flooded his mind of getting drinks with co workers after work. His wife announcing she was pregnant with their second child. The Destructix going into retirement.
The frail assassin shouldered his rifle, walked behind the bar and filled a glass pint with beer. He dumped a few packs of hickory flavoured nuts into a bowl and snacked on that while taking a seat. The mounted TV surprisingly still worked so he flipped through channels.
He didn't react in time to catch his rifle when a grappling hook swiped it off his back. Dogg took a big drink and kept his eyes on the TV.
Espio ejected the magazine and disassembled the weapon. "Life hasn't been kind to you, has it."
"I'm still breathing, and nothing important was taken." Dogg said. "…y'know, I haven't been able to watch a football game in years, man. Fuckin' YEARS it's been."
The assassin finally spun around to look at his next opponent. He didn't recognize the suit, so he stayed silent.
Espio lowered his helmet and locked eyes with Dogg. "…Gaspar? What're you doing here?"
"We all have agendas, Dogg."
"Yeah, I hear that." He said before drinking. "…also heard Slayton put a contract on you. Couple mil, not as much as me or slimeball, but not bad."
"Not surprised. Willful Murder meant a lot to The Chambers, he was their mole. That had to have pissed them off."
"Friend of mine tells me you interrupted peace treaties for Warwick. Every Underground soldiers' been told to cap you."
The chameleon didn't let his emotions cloud his judgement, but internally, he was startled by this news.
"…I knew I'd be giving my life before committing to this campaign. People will be safe and The Chambers will lose at the end."
"So you say. Is that your honest opinion or is that Sonic's influence over you gimps?"
"He has nothing to do with this."
"He put it in your mind that you fucks are the heroes who can do no wrong. Where is he now? Does he know about your situation? I doubt he even cares… you'll die alone just as Simmons did. Whether it's here or by their hand is irrelevant."
Espio stiffened up. "Enough talk. You're coming with me."
Dogg laughed at this notion and raised his mug. "Nah, I'm sitting right here and gettin' drunk. I've got a game to watch."
Espio's HUD alerted him to an incoming threat, so he shot his right grappling hook toward the entrance. A black utility truck burst through the second floor balcony and smashed into the chameleon before he could avoid the hit. He was knocked across the waxed floor and crashed through a pane of glass. Dogg raised his glass at the driver and the truck's wheels screeched while turning to face the chameleon.
Maggie Bloodmoon opened the sunroof and fired a high powered rile at Espio. When he shook it off, she laughed. "Wow, nice suit, dude! What's it made out of, kevlar?"
The chameleon climbed out of the ruble. "This is between Dogg and The Flock. Stay out of this."
"Angel's Flock, they're still kicking? Hey, are they the ones who butchered your boyfriend?"
The evil hedgehog Scourge rolled down his window while revving the engine. "No, that was Slayton's guys. Hey Ninja! I heard Simmons screamed like a bitch while they did him!"
Espio put his helmet up and both grappling hooks sharpened into razors. "Blame only yourselves for what happens next."
"You don't scare me, narc! FUCK YOU!"
Bloodmoon opened fire and Scourge stepped on the gas, so Espio hopped around the shopping mall to dodge. It took a few moments for his HUD to come up with counter measures so he shot his hooks into the tires, but the utility truck had been modified to accommodate such attacks. Espio scrambled to find another course of action.
Dogg cheered when his team hit a touchdown and poured himself a few shots of tequila. The battle behind him was only background noise and he ignored the chaos unfolding.
"Oh shit, he's got tools!" Bloodmoon exclaimed.
"Don't stop, keep shooting!" Scourge demanded.
Espio's suit absorbed the bullets and he fired his left hook into the truck's grill. He slid across the floor while the truck roared through the mall. He fired the right hook into the radiator and ripped it off, then rolled to safety.
"What did he do?! It's dead!"
The truck came to stop and Scourge tried frantically to start it up. Bloodmoon shut the sunroof and reloaded her weapon.
"He's obviously got better gear than us. You need to use the emeralds." She said.
"Well, you'd better hope I don't go dark before he's dead."
Maggie pulled Scourge close and tongued him before they both jumped out of the cab. Espio cartwheeled out of the way and turned invisible while evading. The blonde hedgehog provided cover while the green hedgehog opened the back door and ripped open a gear bag. He put both hands on all six chaos emeralds and screamed out while the energy filled his body.
Espio's grappling hooks disarmed Bloodmoon and he judo tossed her aside. She bounced off a store window and called out to Dogg. "Backup now!"
"You Better Run" by Motörhead blared through the truck's speakers. Dogg gulped down the rest of his beer and revealed both sets of razor sharp claws as he turned to face the chameleon.
Espio remained composed and put his hands up. Scourge's colour turned lime green to bright purple as he went super. He jumped out of the back of the utility truck and stood next to Dogg. Espio exhaled sharply and advanced.
YOU'RE GOING TO DIE, NARC!
Espio dodged the barrage of chaos beams and drop kicked Dogg but he bounced off of him. Scourge capoeira kicked him into the air and Dogg threw him through a clothing store front. The evil hedgehog raced over, picked him up and sprung off the ground. They flew up to the fifth floor and Scourge tossed Espio back down to a elbow-knee combo from Dogg. Espio slid across the floor and stayed down.
"huuuuuuughhh.. (pained inhale) …okay.."
He was slow getting back to his feet. Scourge barked an insult and didn't wait for him to get up. The hedgehog unleashed a punishing combination of punches to Espio that he couldn't block. Scourge side-thrust kicked him backward and Bloodmoon sliced him while he flew by. Blood spilled onto the floor while Espio groaned.
ARMOUR INTEGRITY COMPROMISED, CALCULATING COUNTER MEASURES
The chameleon threw up more red fluid and struggled to stand up. Dogg, Scourge and Bloodmoon stood across taunting him. They'd taken many, many lives with the same routine over their years on the run so they were very confident they'd add him to the list.
As his head spun and he tried to regain his senses, Espio noticed Manic standing in the shadows eating a chilli dog. He gave a thumbs up and stayed hidden, so the chameleon got to his feet and roared out. Manic was no longer an ally and clearly wanted his freedom.
"Do you think Slayton will pay US if we bring Gaspar in?" Scourge asked.
"We're worth twice as much as he is to that old creep. What do you think?"
"Right. Okay, we're killing you for free, then. This guy's pretty good, too. Ah, well."
Espio turned invisible and flew across the battleground. He remembered some of Bark's tricks and avoided Scourge's devastating attacks. Dogg swung his claws furiously but was struck with pin point attacks to vital areas. He dropped to one knee and Espio used a Shuriken to slit his throat, then turned to Scourge.
The evil hedgehog screamed out obscenities while attacking. He missed and was knocked off balance before Espio plunged both grappling hooks through his stomach. Scourge fell to both knees but the chaos emeralds kept him alive.
"Fuck you!" Bloodmoon screamed.
Espio dodged the barrel of her rifle and sweep kicked her legs. He stood on her neck and growled angrily.
Sonic's brother took the elevator down and slow clapped while he approached. "Shit, you ARE the real deal, Hyabusa."
"Is that you, Manic?!" Scourge called out.
He knocked the evil hedgehog out with an enhanced punch curtesy of his jade medallion. Scourge went down, Espio put his hands up and faced off with Manic.
"I'm not surprised you're here," he said. "Slayton offered millions for my life… I just didn't think you'd stoop so low for a payout."
Manic laughed. "What the fuck did you expect? You were gonna be the hero and take down the bad guys?"
"I expected common sense."
"You knew what you did and you were going to use whoever to justify your bullshit mission."
Espio lowered his guard. "It's only to kill The Chambers-"
Bloodmoon kicked free and grabbed a rifle from the floor. "Get away from me!"
Manic dodged and Espio absorbed the bullets, then Scourge jumped to his feet. Manic loaded an energy burst and fired a laser before he could attack.
Scourge was killed instantly and fell face first to the floor. Dogg struggled to breathe but he was alive. "…neither of you will live long-"
Manic stomped on Dogg's head to knock him out. "I'm done being intimidated by jail birds like you."
Espio glanced at the back of the utility truck and his HUD alerted him to high powered weapons inside. "Manic! …he's got chaos weapons."
The green hedgehog kept his energy raised while slowly inspecting the truck. He gasped at the amount of weapons and climbed out with a smirk.
"I think I can put these tools to work," Manic said.
"Long enough to let me bring this Judas to Hang Castle?"
"Is that what your deal was? …shit, get going, then."
Espio kept eye contact. "You'll be waiting to take my back… let's just do it right now."
As much as Manic wanted to scrap, he could feel Espio's urgency to live. And the skill on display told him not to test him anytime soon.
"…I'll take you as far as the Castle and you've got a headstart. I'll be coming with everything I've got after that."
Espio nodded. "Let's go."
After some quick repairs and stealing parts from the auto shop, Espio started the utility truck and stepped on the gas. Dogg was chained inside the back, while Manic sat shotgun to ensure the chameleon played ball.
Maggie Bloodmoon wept over Scourge's corpse, and was on the phone with her disgusting partners inside the Badlands.
Another hour later, the utility truck pulled up to Hang Castle and Espio grabbed Dogg's chains. The assassin tried to get away but he couldn't get free. Manic stayed outside and watched them enter. Magdalaine's guards let the men enter and promptly slammed the gate shut.
Espio pushed Dogg forward and The Flock leader looked down from her balcony.
"You've proven my partners wrong, Mr. Gaspar."
"Honour our agreement and we'll never have to speak to each other again."
Magadalaine chuckled. "As you wish. Mr. Dogg! You look ravishing."
"I'm no Rick Rude, but I stay in shape." Dogg said while turning to face Espio. "You'd better hope these cunts have found a way to kill me-"
The chameleon slit his throat once again, knowing Dogg's healing factor would keep him alive. The Ox girl grabbed the hitman's collar and escorted toward her leader. Espio stood back and watched Rouge and Shadow walk down the stairs.
"You've delivered a million dollar prize to me, Mr. Gaspar." Magdalaine said. "Here is your reward."
Rouge spun around. "I'm not some reward, you stuck up, entitled cun-"
Espio quickly ushered her to the door. "I appreciate it."
"Get off me!"
The bat pushed away, while Shadow locked eyes with Manic at the gate.
"Are you an ally?"
Sonic's brother responded by tossing a gear bag at his feet. Shadow felt the energy from the chaos emeralds and opened the bag. Half of the emeralds were missing.
"…I'm told you're some kinda weapon." Manic said. "Well, I only want to save my family. And I've been told you can help."
Shadow glared at him. "I don't know who told you this, but I'm on a different mission."
Espio stood in between them. "I have these weapons, nothing else.. I worked to release you from The Flock's service, so I ask you aid me once."
Rouge leaned in to whisper, "Espio, there's something big inside that castle you need to see."
"We'll get to that, but right now we have The Chambers to worry about. Are you going to help?"
Shadow didn't break eye contact with Manic while addressing Espio. "…If I'm in your debt, then I accept."
"You only need to do one thing, and I have the tools. So, let's not waste time."
