Chapter 15
With their rifles in hand, Canma sprinted after Nail through the corridors. He led the way, consulting the base's 3D hologram map on his wrist computer whenever they reached a junction. The halls' automatic doors opened for them whenever they approached, revealing still more corridors.
Giichi kept lagging behind, even though he wasn't weighed down by gear like they were. The only thing he carried was the case, but even that put a strain on his stamina. Canma had to give Giichi credit though: he didn't quit pushing himself and never once complained about the pace. Not bad for a civilian. Of course, it didn't hurt they were being chased by an angry swarm of space pirates right now. That did wonders for motivation.
As they turned another corner, a distant boom echoed through the base, dust raining down from the ceiling. Nail stopped and held up his fist, Canma halting on the spot. Giichi collided into her from behind. He mumbled a quick 'sorry', then leaned against a wall. Several more booms rumbled the entire corridor, all of them happening in rapid succession.
"What…what's that?" Giichi took deep breaths in between words, sweat staining his face and red hoodie.
"Cliff guns," Nail looked around, the distant rumbles shaking the corridor. "Shuro reactivated some of them in case Star Wolf found this place."
Giichi winced every time another rumble rattled the corridor.
Canma knew what he was thinking about. Every time they heard an explosion, it represented another life or several being extinguished. What a terrible feeling to have, knowing people were dying sight unseen. In some ways, seeing nothing made it worse. Imagination tended to fill in the empty void with far worse visions than the ones in real life. Canma glanced at the case in Giichi's hands. Hard to believe the contents of an otherwise inconsequential briefcase could inspire so much death and destruction. It's cursed. Our lives are in danger as long as we have it. Sooner we can pass it onto our superiors, the better.
"Let's keep moving." Nail walked over to Giichi. "Those cliff guns are our smoke screen. We need to be on the second ship and out of here before Star Wolf destroys them."
Giichi pointed back down the hallway. "What about Shuro and the others and—"
Nail grabbed the cat's wrist, pulling him in close. "They're giving themselves up so we can escape." His blank expression never once changed.
That was the Nail she remembered all right. He was relentless about being straightforward and truthful, and she loved him for it. It didn't matter how harsh and blunt he was while he trained her to be a Sentinel operative. Knowing every word out of his mouth was genuine made it all the sweeter when he offered her praise instead. When she got praise, she knew she had earned it. And when he made a promise, he would do everything in his power to keep it or apologize if he could not. That made him a rare breed on their homeworld Thaljista, where most others would give you smiles and kind words only to stab you as soon as you turned your back. Given the choice between that and Nail's brutal honesty, she'd go with the latter every time.
Tears reached Giichi's eyes, as he realized the sacrifice being made for their sake. Canma couldn't blame him, since being in the midst of a battlefield was a new experience for him. Even so, he'd willingly come along for this mission, and Canma respected him for it. Far too much had already been paid in flesh and blood back on Thaljista, let alone this place. He was doing something to help bring an end to it.
"Time to go." Nail yanked on Giichi's arm, nearly pulling it out of it socket. The canine ran so fast the sand cat almost fluttered like a flag in the air behind him, his feet only making sporadic steps on the floor.
Canma's eyes hardened as she followed. Six months. Six months since the last time she'd seen Nail, when he left with Giichi, Harry, and Franco to go undercover on the Retribution. Meanwhile, she'd remained with the rest of Sentinel on Fortuna, preparing for the end of the mission where they would extract the four of them and the case back to Thaljista. What a terrible wait, wondering if Nail was alive or not since they couldn't risk communications. At least they were together again now.
The journey continued through the halls for an indeterminate amount of time. Another automatic door loomed ahead, Nail running at full sprint towards since he expected it to open right up.
Except it didn't.
Nail slammed into it, throwing out his hands before he compressed his muzzle into the metal. Canma skidded to a stop next to him, surprised by the sudden halt.
"This isn't right." The canine frowned, checking his hologram map again. "Why isn't it opening?"
"What's going on?" Giichi asked, still breathing hard.
"Shuro picked this route to the decoy ship." Nail tapped away on his wrist computer, the 3D map rotating and zooming around above it. "All the doors should let us right through."
"Maybe this one is broken?" Canma suggested.
"Shouldn't be." Nail pushed a final button on his wrist computer, zooming in on the hallways surrounding them. "I found an alternate route, but it will cost us about thirty minutes. We need to run faster to make up time."
Nail's chest heaved, his breaths coming in ragged. That was an unusual sight. She always thought of him as being part machine, given how he never seemed to be short on energy. But he'd also fought that giant bear, not to mention run on foot through the jungle for a few miles to make it here. And then Star Wolf attacked this base. He'd had no time to rest and recover. Nonetheless, Nail reached out a hand to Giichi again. The sand cat sighed, accepting it. They continued on their way.
She didn't like this.
A lot of things had gone wrong during this mission in spite of Sentinel's carefully laid plans, and it scared the hell out of her. Harry and Franco weren't supposed to die, and Star Wolf was never supposed to find this place. The door was only a small problem in comparison, but it reminded her the mission wasn't over yet. What else could happen before they escaped? They were so close to their goal, and yet she sensed something awful was coming. She eyed the gray canine ahead of her. I won't let you die, Nail. Not after spending six months agonizing over whether you're alive or not.
The rest of the corridors flew past like a blur. At long last, they reached their destination: a door marked 'Docking Bay 20-89'. Nail slammed it aside, the door crashing into the concrete wall beside it. The sound of the rain outside became evident here. Even so sunlight streamed in through the open docking port in front of them, silhouetting a medium-sized freighter. Heat waves billowed in the air around the humming engines. The opened rear cargo hatch beckoned the three of them to enter. Nail paused to wipe some of the sweat from his brow. The extra run time and accelerated pace had taken a toll on all of them.
Even so, he checked the room first before moving inside, like he trained her. "Where is everyone?"
Canma was thinking the same thing, as her chest also burned. This place was awful quiet for an evacuation point. At the minimum a guard or two should have been observing the perimeter.
"Canma, watch my back." Nail raised his rifle, pointing it at potential hiding places. "Giichi, stay behind her and keep quiet. Yell if you see hostiles though."
"Hostiles?" Giichi raised an eyebrow, his chest heaving from all the running.
"Star Wolf." Canma raised her own rifle.
Giichi jumped behind her without hesitation, adrenaline overpowering his tiredness. His nervous breaths tickled the back of her neck, his body heat radiating onto her. She turned to look at him. The fur on the back of his neck and tail puffed out, eyes darting all over the wide open floor space. He looked ready to bolt and run at the first sign of danger, which was the last thing they needed right now.
She put a hand on his shoulder, forcing a smile. Even if she was also afraid, she needed to be his beacon of strength right now. It's OK, I'm here. I'll protect you.
Giichi locked eyes with her. While he didn't smile back, at least his fur wasn't as puffed out now. He seemed to get what she was trying to project to him.
Good. She patted him on the shoulder, keeping the artificial smile on. Stay close to us. That's the safest place for you right now. Crisis averted, she turned back to Nail.
After one last check, he sprinted across the floor, covering the distance to the cargo hatch within seconds. The canine stopped there, waving for Canma and Giichi to move up while he covered the room with his rifle.
Gathering herself up, she dashed across the floor, Giichi sticking behind her like glue. Her heart raced as they crossed the open space, relieved nothing happened once they climbed the ramp into the cargo bay. The relief was short lived however. Boxes of equipment and supplies filled the room, giving the enemy lots of potential hiding places. Her ears swiveled around, listening for movement, but the engines' steady hum covered most other sounds. Without ambient noises, they were half blind. Canma clutched her hands around her rifle as she watched Nail in front. Every time he checked another corner, he was taking his life into his hands.
Through a door at the other end of the room, they entered the ship's mess. Tables and chairs lay scattered around, while a serving window at the other end of the room revealed the galley. Everything appeared orderly here, with eating utensils, trays, and plates secured in windowed-cabinets off to one side.
Canma wrinkled her nose as they moved across the canteen's tiled floor. Someone had gone overboard with cleaning chemicals in this room. Also, I think I smell something else too... When they moved past the galley, her nose turned towards one of the large freezers in the back, visible through the serving window. The scent was coming from there, and it didn't smell like any kind of food they'd packed. A chill ran down her back.
Nail pointed at a navigation sign marked 'Bridge'. Canma nodded. There should at least be one person there, considering the engines were running. But they were supposed to share this ship with several other Sentinel operatives for the trip back. Something was wrong if they hadn't seen any of them by now. Nail led the way up a staircase to the flight deck. The turned a corner, with the bridge's door now in sight.
The mysterious scent grew stronger again. It smelled…coppery.
Nail mouthed the word blood to her. He was right, now that she smelled it without the cleaning chemicals masking it. So what was in the freezer downstairs?
Get off this ship...now.
She looked back the way they'd come, hands trembling on her rifle. Nail grabbed her shoulder, spinning her around. He shook his head. As much as she didn't want to admit it, he was right; they couldn't turn back. Either they used this ship to escape Fortuna, or they were trapped here. There were no other options. She nodded, ready to continue.
Nail pointed at Giichi, and then the far end of the hall where the stairs were. He wanted him out of the way while they breached the door. She didn't like leaving Giichi by himself, even if he was only a few steps away, but they didn't know what they were about to walk into here. She guided the cat back into position, giving him another reassuring pat and signaling him to stay put. Giichi's eyes widened when he realized he was being left alone, but he complied, clutching to the silver case with both arms like it was a life preserver.
With him out of the way, Canma took position on one side of the bridge's door, Nail on the other side. His face almost mirrored hers. Their breaths came out in ragged gasps, sweat running through their fur. They'd come a long way to get to this point, Nail in particular. But if the ship was compromised, they needed to secure it before they could take off. There would be plenty of time to rest once they were in warp. Just had to keep it together for a little bit more… She placed her hand over the door's open button, both of their faces hardening, ready for whatever was inside. Nail nodded. She slammed the button down, the door whooshing aside. Both of them leapt inside, rifles up.
Bright light dazzled her. Canma winced, but when everything came back into focus no one was there. Sunlight streamed in through the bridge's front viewport, which faced the open docking bay. Rain fell past the doorway, the other side of the metallic canyon visible from here. The room's computers and consoles hummed along in a steady drone, the various stations in the room all empty, including the captain's station in the floor's center. Relieved, Canma lowered her rifle. No hostiles.
Nail tapped on her shoulder. She gasped, her tail jumping at the sudden contact. He pointed at the pilot's station at the front of the room. Someone was sitting there, slumped so they were mostly hidden behind the chair's back. She hadn't noticed at first, because the captain's station concealed it from view. The figure let out a muffled groan, Canma skin going white under her fur.
Nail strode over to the pilot's side, Canma right behind him. She put a hand over her mouth. A brown hare in a Sentinel uniform sat there, blood spilling down the entire front of his black bodysuit from multiple cuts. Loose cabling tied his hands and feet to the chair, his mouth gagged as well. His eyes widened upon seeing the two of them, shaking his head. Why wasn't he happy to be rescued? Nail lowered the gag over his mouth.
"Get out…trap…" he moaned.
"Aaah!" Giichi cried out. Scuffling could be heard in the corridor. "Nail! Help me!"
Canma spun around, rifle at the ready…but a small gray object flew past her. It ricocheted off the pilot's seat and bounced behind the captain's station.
"Flashbang!" Nail screamed.
Canma dived to the floor, shielding her eyes. A loud bang reverberated in her ears, her brain jostling around inside her skull. Ringing noises assaulted her ears, the concussive blast of the device leaving her dazed as she shambled back to her feet. Two green figures ran into the bridge through the rear door. One of them—an iguana wearing jungle fatigues—sprinted straight for her. Crimson stains covered his uniform and his face. He screamed something, the words inaudible due to the flashbang from before. A bloodstained blade was in his hand, raised overhead where it caught the sunlight…
Nail's drills and training kicked in as Canma raised her rifle sideways, catching the blade with the side of her gun. The lizard snarled at her, kicking her in the torso. She stumbled backwards and collided with the navigator's chair, the rifle tumbling out of her hands. He followed with a stab aimed right at her chest. She leaned to the left, the blade grazing her body suit. He's off balance now. Strike! She sent a right hook into his face. He recoiled backwards into the pilot's station, a hand clutched over his jaw. It all happened so fast she done it all by reflex and instinct
She yanked out her sidearm, raising it— The lizard closed the gap again, slapping her gun arm aside. He followed with a headbutt, right on the dome of her skull. Stars blasted through her eyes, as she fell flat to the floor. She scrambled to stand, but a boot pressed into her back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the lizard standing over her. The blade of his machete was pointed square at her back, poised to impale her. This it, isn't it? That thought crashed into her mind, sending her eyes wide in horror.
The lizard grinned grinned, savoring the coming kill. "Long live Emperor Andross!"
A blur of gray and green crashed into him, sending him recoiling into the engineer's station. Nail and a chameleon struggling on the floor, fighting for control of a serrated combat knife. The chameleon was on top, trying to get the knife pointed at the canine's throat. Canma jumped to her feet, raising her pistol, but they were thrashing around too much. What if she hit Nail by accident?
The chameleon looked like he'd gained control now, the knife almost embedded in Nail's throat. Psyching herself up, Canma aimed a kick at the chameleon's triangular head. She was successful, sending him flying across the floor with blood spewing out of his mouth. He landed in a heap in front of the captain's station, the knife clattering to the floor. She smiled, relishing the moment of triumph—
Until out of the corner of her eye she saw the iguana on his feet again, slicing his machete right at her. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion, the blade hissing through the air right at her face. She didn't have time to dodge.
The iguana stumbled, the blade missing short of her black nose. Nail was still on the floor, having grabbed the iguana's leg to throw him off balance. Canma raised her gun again, putting the iguana's head in line with the three posts.
Scaly green arms grabbed her from behind, one of them twisting her right arm backwards. The chameleon slammed her hand into a nearby console, blasts of pain shooting through her arm. She cried out, the gun falling out of her grasp. Another scaly arm wrapped around her neck, choking her. The chameleon was laughing behind her, like this was nothing but a fun game to him. Can't breathe! Have to break free! She pounded him in the side with one of her elbows, doing it as much as she could while she had strength left. With each blow, the chameleon's grip slackened, encouraging her to keep going. She grunted, pounding him in the side over and over again, following up her last blow with a stomp to one of his feet, sending the chameleon howling and releasing her. Canma backpedaled away next to the captain's chair, getting some distance from where the chameleon now stood near the pilot's station.
Meanwhile, Nail had transformed his silvery glove into its sword form, and he was having a duel with the iguana and his machete. The iguana, aggressive as ever, used another overhead slash. It was a powerful blow, but also slow and predictable. Nail parried with his own sword and followed with a kick to the chest, sending the iguana stumbling backwards into the navigation station.
The two lizards were now side by side at the front of the bridge, with Nail and Canma themselves towards the rear exit
Canma winced as she eyed the damage to Nail's liquid metal blade. Missing chinks marked the edges where it had made contact. The damage from Ooveh's battle was still affecting its performance. Sure, she'd applied stabilizer to it, but that was only to keep the glove from melting off of Nail's hand. It wouldn't last through another extended fight. And he was exhausted now, having trouble keeping his head up while he held the blade aloft. The two lizards approached with grins on their faces, hungry for more. Nail held them at bay with his sword, while Canma backed closer to the door. She'd lost her weapons in the scuffle.
More pirates were probably headed for this ship right now. If they didn't deal with these two and take off now, they might not get the chance to escape at all. At the same time, they couldn't abandon Giichi and the case either. What should they do?
Nail made the choice for them.
"Take this." He drew his sidearm, holding it out to her but never once taking his eye off the lizards.
Confused, she accepted the weapon. Nail spun around, pushing her back into the corridor outside the bridge. He stepped over to the door's button.
"Save Giichi. Get the case back." He didn't even raise his voice.
That blank expression was the last thing she saw as the bridge's door slammed shut. Canma mashed her fist against the button, but it flashed red. Nail had locked himself inside with the two lizards. She hit the button several more times, before she pounded on the door with her fists instead. It wouldn't budge. Tears ran down her face, her punches growing weaker and less frequent over time. Nail, why? After all this time I spent waiting for you to come back, why did you have to go and do this? By this point she'd quit hitting the door, instead leaning against it with her head pressed against the cool metal, weeping as she stood there.
She detected a faint cry, this time far off in the distance. Her ears canted backwards to pick up on it.
Giichi. It was difficult to hear but she recognized his voice. He still needed help. And Nail was counting on her to save him and the case.
Whatever Nail was doing at this point was unimportant to her, no matter how she felt about it. She had her own job to do, and the success of the mission depended on it. The mission took priority. She couldn't let her feelings get in the way. He had told her this repeatedly in training. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she took one last glance at the door.
Nail… Come back alive.
She sprinted down the corridor, hurrying out of the freighter.
~X~
Leon watched as Nail turned away from the door, eyeing the strange sword in the canine's hand. He thought Ooveh was exaggerating about a shapeshifting weapon, but the bear had been telling the truth. Right before his eyes, the visible cracks and damage repaired themselves, the blade forming back into its original shape. However, Nail breathed hard, not fully recovered from the fight with Ooveh. Excellent.
"Would you both please die quickly?" Nail spoke as if he were asking for a small favor. The sword reformed back into a glove. "I don't have time for this."
Leon chuckled. "My my…who's the cold blooded one here again?"
Was it his imagination, or did a small smirk appear on the canine's face? Nail's legs coiled up, and he sprung off of the floor, a gray blur flashing through the air between himself and Tadao. He's fast! Without missing a beat, Nail grabbed an overhead pipe, swinging himself over the captain's chair and propelling him towards the front viewport. Why did he want to go over there? The canine reached down to the floor for something. That vixen's pistol!
Tadao charged around the captain's chair, swinging his machete at the crouched canine. Nail saw him coming at the last second, jumping out of the way of the blade. He fired the kinetic pistol while flying backwards. Tadao ducked, the shot striking a monitor behind him and spraying out sparks. He's distracted. I can end this here! Leon charged the canine, lunging forward with his combat knife.
Nail spotted him out of the corner of his eye, leaping straight up like he was weightless. The canine clung to the ceiling, his legs and left hand adhered to the surface while he aimed down with the pistol. Ooveh wasn't kidding about his agility! Tadao's machete whistled through the air, narrowly missing Nail's right leg and clanging off the ceiling. He moved his leg off the surface to avoid the blade, but evidently two limbs weren't enough to support him. Nail toppled from the ceiling, landing in a crouch.
The chameleon grinned, charging the canine with the knife once more. His blade was mere inches from meeting flesh, Leon knowing Nail couldn't evade in time. His knife unexpectedly clanged against something. Confused, he looked down. Nail had turned his glove into a small shield, the knife embedded into it instead of the canine's flesh. Before he could blink, he found himself staring into the barrel of Nail's pistol, the bullet in the chamber visible.
Yet the shot didn't come. Nail noticed something behind the chameleon, jumping backwards behind the captain's station. Leon wondered why, until Tadao fired one of the kinetic rifles right next to the chameleon's ear. Leon covered his ears while Tadao laughed, spraying the entire magazine at the captain's station. Bullets ripped through the circuitry and the chair's fabric, sending plastic and electronic bits flying everywhere. It was an impressive display… until the magazine clicked empty.
Nail leaned out from behind the chair, blind firing his pistol. Feeling the bullets cracking through the air around him, Leon dived to the floor to where the canine didn't have an angle on him, Tadao landing right next to him. Sparks and hot metal rained down on their backs, the smell of gunpowder in the air. It'd been so long since he'd faced off against a kinetic weapon he'd nearly forgotten the smell. Nail stopped shooting. Something clattered to the floor.
He's reloading!
Leon leaped to his feet, charging round the captain's station on Nail's blind side. Turning the corner, he spotted Nail slipping a new magazine into the receiver. The chameleon aimed a kick at the crouching canine. He backpedaled out of the way, but the magazine slipped out of his hands, clattering to the floor. Leon smirked. So much for us dying quickly, huh?
Click.
The sound was from behind Leon. He turned around, seeing Tadao holding the other kinetic rifle the two canines had brought with them. Heh, it's over now. Leon smirked. Nail's got nowhere to hide from- "Ugh!" A gray furred arm wrapped itself around his neck, squeezing all the air out of him. Nail spun him around, so he was now facing Tadao holding the rifle. The iguana's finger twitched on the trigger, the barrel shaking. If I don't break out of this fast, Tadao will kill both of us! Leon spun the knife around in his hand, pointing the blade at Nail's leg. He plunged it downwards.
"Aaaagh!" Nail cried out, releasing Leon. The canine shoved him away, sending him barreling across the floor straight towards Tadao. Surprised, the iguana lowered the rifle, Leon almost falling right into his arms.
Ca-click.
The two turned around, as Nail stuffed another magazine into the handgun. They dived behind the captain's station...only for silence to greet them. No gunshots. There was a loud grunt from Nail, then a thunk overhead. Nail hung from an overhead pipe by one hand, aiming at the two of them with the gun in his other. Leon snatched away Tadao's rifle, spraying the entire magazine in Nail's general direction. Nail dropped out of sight, but Leon heard a satisfying grunt as the canine fell to the floor. Chuckling, Leon walked around the chair.
Nail had been hit. A splotch of red was on the side of his torso, as the canine cradled the leg with Leon's knife in it. He must have landed on it after dropping from the ceiling. Weakly, Nail raised the pistol, but the movement was so slow Leon easily kicked it out of his hand. Nail was finished. Or so Leon thought. The silvery glove transformed into a sword again, Nail pointing it at the chameleon as he stumbled to his feet, trying to not put weight on his injured leg.
"Heh heh heh…" Tadao chuckled, stepping up with his machete. "Not so fast anymore, eh dog?" He took a swing at Nail's midsection.
The canine blocked it with his liquid sword, but took a big stumble backwards from the force. A chink of the liquid metal fell to the floor, transforming into a droplet. Tadao shook his head in amusement, as he pressed his attack with more slashes. Nail deflected every attack, but Tadao wasn't intending for any of his blows to hit anyway. Every time Nail parried, it was a little bit slower and the canine struggled a bit more to ward off the hit. Tadao aimed to drain what was left of Nail's remaining strength, and then go in for a killing blow. Leon grinned. Smart. He himself had used similar tactics before. Every blow ripped another chunk off of the sword, sending droplets of the strange material falling to the floor.
Nail's back hit the bridge's exit door, leaving him nowhere to run. His strange alien weapon—which Ooveh had described as power like he'd never seen—was covered with scratches and missing chunks, not standing up any better than an imitation sword one might buy at a novelty shop. Tadao sliced again, Nail raising the sword once more. The entire top half of the sword snapped off on contact, clanging to the floor before it disintegrated into a puddle. Nail stared at his weapon, stunned, while Tadao moved in, aiming the top of his machete right at the canine's chest.
"For our emperor!" He pulled the machete back, ready to pin the canine to the door.
"Wait." Leon pat him on the shoulder.
Tadao lowered his machete, confused. "Why? What are you doing?"
Leon chuckled, looking at Nail. Hard to believe this canine had killed so many and given them so much trouble as of late. Now he looked like a broken dog who'd been run over by a truck, ready to be put out of his misery.
"Killing him now would be a waste." Leon stepped in closer, those shiny golden eyes of Nail's growing dull and colorless. "There's one last thing he can do for us first."
The chameleon brought up his wrist communicator, changing the frequency to Wolf's.
~X~
Panther grinned ear to ear, holding the case under his left arm while dragging Giichi along with the right one. All of his troubles were about to be behind him. He'd turn in the case and this kid, get his share of Sable's reward, refill the deficit in Star Wolf's coffers, and he'd be in the clear. He could take a vacation to Zoness, enjoy his Hyoodin along a coastal highway, pick up a new girl, maybe even buy a private beach to screw her on, whatever. The possibilities were endless! Panther checked his wrist comm for the base's map. The blue tinge of the image was the only light, aside from the flashlight mounted on his head.
Giichi kicked him in the side, the jungle cat's ears curling back in annoyance. The kid had been yelling and struggling the whole time, trying to break free. Panther slammed him into the wall on the right side of the corridor, the smaller feline whimpering.
"That's better," Panther muttered, continuing to drag him along.
But Giichi wriggled around in his grasp again, kicking and fighting as hard as he had before.
"Would you stop already?!" He snarled at his captive. "You're lucky Sable wants you alive, you know!"
While Panther's size and strength far outweighed Giichi's, it was like being a parent trying to haul around an oversized, angry toddler. He'd have to discipline the kid again, show him who was boss. He leaned to slam sideways into the wall again and—
Something sharp raked across his right arm, digging deep into his flesh even under his clothing. Panther cried out, the case clattering to the floor as he released Giichi. Three bloody claw marks were on his arm now, stinging like fire. Giichi stood a short distance away, the kid holding up his hands and staring at them. His claws were out, the tips stained with Panther's blood. The two locked eyes together, astonished by what happened. Shaking his head, Giichi sheathed his claws and took off running, skinny striped tail swishing in the air behind him. He was soon out of the beam of Panther's light.
This goddamned cub.
Panther snatched the case off the floor, running after him. Before he could catch up, Giichi darted through a dark doorway on the left side of the hall. Panther rounded the corner, his light illuminating a dark warehouse. Shelves reached up into the air, piled high with dusty boxes. A metal catwalk ringed the edges of the room, more shelves against the walls up there. Where was Giichi though?
Panther turned his head, dust particles dancing through the air in the flashlight's beam. Behind one of the shelves, something darted out of sight as the beam touched it. There was a flash of yellow fur. Panther rushed into the aisle after it. Giichi was there, running for his life, eyes wide as the larger cat bore down on him. This aisle dead-ended at another stack of shelves. The black cat grinned, closing the distance fast with his longer legs. He reached out to grab Giichi, but the kid dived to the ground, crawling prone through an open spot on the bottom shelf.
His jeaned legs rapidly vanished through the hole, only his sneakers visible. Panther dived to the floor, snatching one of Giichi's legs. The kid kicked his hand with his other foot, Panther yowling as he withdrew it. He tried to follow through the hole, but only his head would fit, his shoulders too broad to go through the gap. Meanwhile, Giichi ran off somewhere else in the next aisle over.
"Stupid brat!" Panther pulled himself back the other way. He doubled back down the dead end aisle, ears flicking about as he tracked Giichi's location in the room. Reaching the end of the aisle, he hurried to find another pathway towards Giichi. The sand cat was making a racket somewhere, Panther closing in on the sound fast.
"Got you now!"
He turned the corner where he heard all the noise…just in time to see Giichi scramble to the top of one of the shelves, one of his feet knocking over a stack of cans. They clattered to the floor as he jumped over to the shelves on the next aisle over. Panther moved to climb after him, but the case was still under his left arm. He couldn't climb while he was holding it. But he couldn't drop the case either, not after all this trouble to get it back! Damn it! Panther stomped his feet.
Growling, he rushed to the next aisle, keeping his flashlight focused overhead. Occasionally he caught flashes of yellow as the kid jumped around, playing keep away. This was stupid. Giichi was making fun of him now with this dumb kid's game. Well, there was a way to fix that. Drawing his blaster, he fired at the bottoms of the posts holding up the shelves, blasting holes in them. With their support compromised, the shelves groaned, collapsing in on themselves and knocking others over with a domino effect. Huge crashes echoed through the room, everything on the shelves raining down to the concrete floor.
Amidst the chaos, he caught sight of Giichi jumping to the ground. The smaller cat stumbled as he ran away, running for the stairs to the warehouse's second floor. Panther grinned, giving chase. Giichi wheezed, taking long breaths as he pushed himself onwards. As he reached the stairs, Panther grabbed him by the hood of his hoodie, pulling him backwards and slamming him to the floor. Giichi cried out, the impact taking out what little wind he had left in his body. Jumping on top, Panther rested a knee on top of the kid so he couldn't wiggle away again. Whirling out his sidearm, he slammed the gun right in the kid's face, covering him with the gun. Giichi's breath caught in his throat, one of his eyes on the gun and the other on Panther's face.
"I'd love to shoot you right now…" Panther snarled, as he pushed the barrel right into Giichi's eye, compressing the soft flesh into his eye socket. Giichi cried out, trying to squirm away, but Panther applied more pressure with his knee, crushing the smaller cat's lungs and holding him in place. "Too bad Sable won't let me."
"Panther…" Giichi wheezed. "I'm sorry…"
"Liar!" the jungle cat shouted, his mouth of sharp teeth on full display. Stepping off Giichi, Panther dragged him off the floor by his hood again, pulling him back under his right arm. Panther hauled the smaller cat along, back to the warehouse's exit. "Two-faced bastard, pretending you were my friend! At least Sable's gonna give me three million for you. Guess we'll call it even after that. I hope she's saving you for her personal torture dungeon or something."
"Don't give her the case," Giichi moaned, his tennis shoes dragging along the floor as they walked. "You've got no idea who she works for, what they're going to do with it…"
"I don't care." Panther hissed. "Wolf's going to kill me if I don't earn back the money I spent on the Hyoodin."
"You—you give that case to her, and a lot more people are gonna die instead." Giichi wriggled to break away again. "You're mixed up in something way bigger than you and that stupid car."
Panther halted in his tracks. He set Giichi on the ground, but grabbed the sand cat's fur on the top of his head, making him yowl. Giichi tried pawing away at Panther's hands, but the bigger cat barely noticed. He spun his captive around so they were face to face. "So what's in this thing?" He shook the case at Giichi. "What's so important about it?"
"It's bad news, Panther…" Giichi breathed hard, looking Panther in the eyes. He shook his head. "Nothing good will come of it going back to Thaljista."
"Answer my damn question!" Panther shouted into his face.
"Don't give it to her!"
Panther's eye twitched, snatching Giichi's arm and twisting it, hard. "I'm tired of you talking in circles!"
Panther, please…" The cat cried out, swiping away at Panther, but he was too tired to make effective slashes with his claws now. "Lylat's not my home, but I love this place. I don't want to see it destroyed."
Panther's brow narrowed. "Lylat's going to be destroyed?"
A rapid pattering sounded drew Panther's attention, and he turned around. A fist clocked him square in the face, sending him toppling to the floor, Giichi falling next to him. The case bounced off the ground, rolling to a stop nearby. With his vision still swimming, someone rolled him over, leaning over him. Click. The barrel of a gun came into focus. Behind the weapon there was the face of an angry vixen, harsh green eyes staring at him. Her finger twitched on the trigger, squeezing it.
"No!"
A yellow hand shot out, shoving the pistol away. It went off next to his ear, Panther screaming as the harsh ringing blasting his ear drums. Giichi rolled to his feet, kneeling over Panther and holding his arms out.
The vixen rose into a stand, holding the gun at her side. "Giichi, out of the way."
Giichi remained where he was, between the two of them. "Please! We don't have to kill him!"
Still holding a hand over his deafened ear, Panther didn't understand at all. The kid had been plotting behind Star Wolf's back since the beginning of this whole thing. Why the hell was this traitor protecting him? Giichi looked freaked out by what he was doing, as did the vixen holding the gun.
Panther looked past Giichi, eying the woman. Gray fur, gray body suit like the other Sentinel members, long hair, ponytail, an elegant fluffy tail behind her. And she had curves in all the right places too… Was it his imagination, or did he recognize her from somewhere? His eyes focused on her chest, the body suit not leaving much to the imagination.
She growled at him, when she noticed where his eyes were. "Are you serious?!"
Panther shook his head, narrowing his eyes again. Focus Panther. She wants to kill you, after all.
Giichi glanced back at Panther, unsure of what to do now. When he wasn't looking, the vixen lunged forwards, pushing the small cat out of the way. Panther's eyes widened. She spun the pistol around and held it by the barrel, bringing the receiver crashing down on his head. One solid whack, and the darkness took him.
~X~
"Sorry…" Giichi mumbled to Panther, even though he was unconscious.
Canma dug around in one of the collapsed shelves, bringing out some rope. She tied Panther to a support beam, gagging him and leaving him slumped there.
"Good enough?" Canma sighed, standing after she finished. "What a pervert. He was checking me out even while I had a gun on him."
Giichi nodded back to her. He wasn't surprised by Panther's behavior, having lived in close proximity to him for the past six months.
"Forget him." Canma shook her head. "We need to get back to the ship. Nail's in danger!"
Overhead, a ceiling PA speaker crackled on, with the other speakers in the hall soon following suit. Moans and screams came out of the speakers, piercing the silence of the once quiet corridors.
"What is that?!" The sand cat's eyes widened.
With how the speakers couldn't properly handle the sounds, they added in their own static blasts and scratches. He winced, his ears curling back. As he listened to the screams, a horrifying realization came to Giichi. I know that voice. I know who it is! He slumped to the floor, covering his ears as the terrible noises assaulted his ears. Stop! Please stop! Tears fell out of his eyes, but the acoustic attack was relentless. As it became too much to bear, the sound cut out at last.
His relief only lasted a moment.
A deep laugh echoed out of the speakers now, raising the fur on the back of Giichi's neck. "Hey kiddo, did you hear that?" Wolf chuckled. "That was…um, wait a second." Fumbling noises came over the speakers, as the lupine repositioned the microphone. "Your name was what again? Shuro?"
"Screw you…" Shuro snarled, but a loud grunt cut him off.
It is him! Giichi clenched his teeth. Please, tell me this is a nightmare!
"Ah, I'm afraid he can't talk much right now." Wolf let out a mocking sigh. "Getting shot in the gut will do that to you."
"That monster!" Giichi hissed.
He ran for the warehouse's exit, but Canma grabbed him round the wrist. Spinning around, he pulled as hard as he could, but her grip was too strong even when he used both hands. Dust whirled in the air, as he dragged her across the concrete floor.
"By the way," Wolf continued, "we've got Augustine here too. But you like to call him Nail, right?"
Both he and Canma stopped struggling, looking at the speaker together.
"Oh no…" Canma shook her head, covering her mouth. "Not him…"
"Here's what happens now, Giichi. Turn yourself and the case over to me, and you won't have to hear any more of that. Keep me waiting and well…Tadao and Leon here get to have some more fun." Wolf's laughter echoed throughout the whole base. "We're in the hangar next to your evac ship. Choice is yours, cub."
~X~
Wolf grinned, pacing back and forth as he surveyed his two captives. Augustine and Shuro were chained to a support beam next to one of the docking bay's walls, bound by their arms and legs. A large bandage was on Shuro's bare chest, covering the gunshot wound there. Nail also had a binding around his leg where he'd been stabbed by Leon. Wolf didn't have his medics treat them out of benevolence though. Rather, it was only to keep them alive long enough to be useful hostages.
Leon stood next to the caracal, approaching Shuro's short brown tail. He grasped the end of it with a cold hand, holding the knife to it with the other, giving himself about an inch's worth of tail to work with. He sawed with the blade, using the serrated edge to ensure it caught frequently, thus requiring it to be pulled and yanked through the flesh, shredding it. The caracal put on a brave face as Leon cut away, his face contorting into all sorts of agonizing expressions, but he could not contain his wails for long.
Wolf held Shuro's tablet in front of the caracal's mouth, capturing every little moan and whimper he could for Giichi to hear. What a stroke of good luck Shuro had this on his person. The device was like Suneel said, now giving Wolf access to the base's systems.
Leon finished cutting off the one-inch section, the piece of flesh falling away. It landed with a thump on the floor, next to a few others he'd already cut off. Shuro was in tears now, staring at the bloody stump that used to be the end of his tail.
Tied up next to the caracal, Augustine's blank expression hadn't changed, much to Wolf's annoyance. The mysterious canine's golden eyes studied the lupine. They contained no trace of menace, nor hate, nor happiness, or any other emotion. It was as if Augustine were a robot in flesh and blood form, still on a mission to kill Wolf and the others, biding his time until he could find another opportunity to do so.
Returning his attention to Shuro, Wolf held the tablet to the cat's mouth again. "Tell Giichi to come back. Tell him to bring the case with him."
While scared out of his wits, the caracal did his best to remain stoic, gazing at Wolf with an overwhelming amount of hatred. The lupine didn't pay it any mind though. Shuro wouldn't be around much longer after all. The two locked eyes for several moments, neither one of them backing down.
"Call to Giichi." Wolf repeated. "Leon's still got several more inches to work with…"
Augustine's face remained impassive as he observed the torture.
"How about you?" Wolf moved the tablet closer to the canine. "Or would you like to lose part of your tail too?"
"Neither of us is important," Augustine replied, his expression unchanging. "If needed, I will give my life to protect Giichi and keep that case out of Sable's hands."
Wolf smirked at his prisoner. "Tough talk. And I'm amazed you survived a fight against Ooveh." He gave an aside glance to the bear. Ooveh's eyes hardened as he stared at Augustine, hands clenched around his heavy gun. Wolf returned his attention to the canine. "But every man's got his breaking point. Let's find out what yours is. Leon?" Wolf turned to the chameleon.
Leon stepped next to Augustine, grabbing the tail and slicing it. The canine grit his teeth, his face scrunching together as the sawing began. His tail thrashed around in Leon's grasp, the chameleon annoyed at trying to hang onto it. A suppressed cry escaped his mouth, Wolf holding the tablet close to his mouth. With the way the sound also came out of the rusting speakers in the hangar, it created a disturbing echo. Even the other Star Wolf members in the hangar were creeped out. Wolf smiled. Just the effect he wanted to created.
Wolf flipped around the tablet. "Do you hear that, Giichi?"
"Wait…" Shuro wheezed. He looked ready to expire at any moment, blood oozing out from under the bandage on his chest. "I've got something to say."
The lupine smirked, holding the tablet out to his face.
"Giichi…" the caracal gasped out. "We're dead."
Wolf's eye widened.
"Don't-don't listen to Wolf. He's gonna…gonna kill us no matter what." He lunged forward, craning his neck towards the tablet as he shouted. "Don't let the Royalists have the case! Run! Leave us!"
Wolf pulled the tablet away, a snarl on his lips as he pistol-whipped the caracal across the face. Shuro's head recoiled, clanging against the support beam behind him. It settled into a slump, his muzzle resting on his chest, his eye blackened where Wolf had struck him.
Wolf's eye narrowed. "Wake him up!"
Leon stepped over, moving Shuro's head back up. But no matter what he did, Shuro's head kept rolling forward. The chameleon stopped to put an ear to the caracal's chest. "Damn… I think you killed him, Wolf."
Wolf growled. He'd lost his temper there. What a stupid mistake.
Oh well. Shuro was plan A. They still had Augustine as a backup, and Wolf knew Giichi had a much more personal connection to him. The lupine smirked, glancing at his second captive…and wished he hadn't. The blank look on Augustine's face was gone, now replaced by a hard glare. Those golden eyes… They shone in the room's darkness, feeling like they were staring straight into Wolf's soul. He felt like he was being analyzed, Augustine's brain using the data to calculate the most painful way to rip him to pieces.
Moving slowly, Wolf held out the tablet to Augustine. "Are…are you going to tell Giichi to bring the case?" You fool, quit being so scared. Why are you being so polite all of a sudden?
Nail made no response, his eyes never leaving Wolf's face. While unnerved by this, Wolf waved for Leon to resume the torture. As Leon approached, Augustine suddenly lunged towards the lizard's face with an open mouth, trying to take a bite out of it. Leon dodged at the last second, punching Augustine in the face. Augustine yowled, but turned back to the chameleon, his deadly eyes now focused on his torturer. He had a massive bruise on the side of his muzzle, but looked no worse for wear otherwise.
Wolf frowned. "Tadao, help Leon."
Tadao bowed, clutching Augustine around the neck so he couldn't move his head. The canine thrashed around in his grasp like a wild animal, hissing and snarling as he tried to break free, crying out in agonizing pain while Leon went back to work on his tail, chopping through another one-inch section. With the deed done, Leon held it up, showing it to the canine. Augustine didn't care, still glaring at the three of them, a low growl escaping his mouth. He'd reduced himself to becoming feral. When Wolf wanted to try to get a rise out of Augustine, this wasn't what he had in mind. Even Leon was hesitant to be near him now. Nonetheless, Wolf looked around the room, noting Giichi still wasn't here.
Collecting himself, Wolf held up the tablet. "Do you hear that?" He did his best to sound brave despite what Nail had done. "We know you're hiding out there. Bring out the case, or this will continue. What's it going to be, Giichi?"
Another few minutes passed, with no sign of the cat. Wolf gave another nod to Tadao and Leon, and the sawing resumed, Wolf making sure to capture every little sound Nail made for everyone in the base to hear. After a while, he decided to take a breather, handing the tablet to one of his grunts. Wolf noticed Ooveh standing in the corner again, leaning against the wall.
"Something wrong?" Wolf walked over, needing to crane his neck back to look the bear in the face.
"I don't like torture." Ooveh averted his eyes from what Leon and Tadao were doing.
Wolf's eye widened. "But you love fighting and killing, don't you?"
"This isn't the same." He shook his head. "I take no pleasure in hurting someone who cannot fight back." As a distraction, Ooveh turned his attention to something small in his giant brown paw. Wolf couldn't see what it was, but the bear kept swapping it from hand to hand, clenching it inside his fists.
What's he holding? Never mind, I have more important things to do right now. He returned to keeping an eye out for Giichi, checking each of the room's entrances in turn. The sand cat was smart, but Wolf knew he would snap like a twig hearing his best friend being tortured like this. It was only a matter of time now…
~X~
Back in the warehouse, Giichi cried as he listened to the moans, screams, and whimpers of his comrades echoing down the hallways. No matter how hard he covered his ears, he couldn't keep out the noises. With how loud the screams were, they seemed to bypass his ears and attack his brain directly. He pressed his fingers into his scalp, rubbing it. Stop it Wolf! Please stop it! The cold from the concrete walls and floors seeped into his body, chilling him to the bone. Canma held him as if she were his mother, trying to soothe him with her own body warmth. It was a good thing she was there, or he would have cracked a long time ago.
He wasn't strong like Nail, Canma, and the other members of Sentinel were. Why couldn't he be more like them? More like his brother? His brother wouldn't crack under this, would he? Bro…I wish you could be here right now. You'd know what to do. You're a soldier like these guys. As the minutes wore on, Giichi knew he couldn't stand this much longer. It was only a matter of time before he broke.
"Damn it!" The sand cat jumped to his feet, shaking loose from Canma. He snatched the silver case off the floor next to him, hurrying for the exit.
Canma was on him before he could take two steps, wrapping her arms around him. "You take the case back to them, and all of this will have been for nothing! Thaljista will burn!" As always, she held tight, not letting Giichi move an inch forward no matter how hard he struggled. "Don't do it!"
"But Nail's gonna die…" He looked over his shoulder, glaring at her. "You should let me go. I know you don't want him to die either. I see the way you look at him!"
Canma sniffled continuing to cry. "I know…and that makes it all the harder for me. I want to save Nail. I want it more than anything, I really do. He means everything to me!" Tears flowed across her cheeks. "But Star Wolf's going to kill him either way, no matter what we do. Please Giichi, we need to find another way out of here! We have to get out!"
"You're going to abandon him?" Giichi snarled. "I can't! I won't!"
He reached for her holster, yanking the handgun out of it and sticking the barrel into her side. Canma released him, jumping backwards. The gun rattled, the barrel wavering as he pointed it at the vixen. It was heavy in his hands, not only from its weight but also the knowledge of what it was capable of doing. He could end Canma's life right now. Knowing he held that power frightened him. Just one little twitch of the finger, and he would become a killer, just like Nail…
By contrast, Canma appeared serene, almost motherly in her voice as she held her hands up. "Please Giichi…" She paced towards him, holding her hands open in a gesture of peace. "I know you don't want to kill me. Guns don't belong in your hands." One of her hands grasped the handgun's slide, moving slow and with purpose, as she wrapped her hand over Giichi's hands on the grip, nudging the weapon aside from both of them. "Give it back, please."
Giichi relaxed his grip on the pistol as she grasped it, letting her take control of the weapon. Her voice, it's so sweet and gentle. Maybe it's OK if I listen to her, give the gun back, don't go to save Nail and—
"Stay back!"
Giichi leaped backwards, bringing the gun to bear again. He looked through the sights, the three posts on top aligned with her frightened face. No, he couldn't give this back to her. If he did, Nail's life was over.
"Giichi, I'm not your enemy. I've already sacrificed a lot to be here. We all have. Don't make it all meaningless!"
"As long as there is a chance, I'm not abandoning Nail!" He sprinted away, pistol in one hand with the case under the other arm.
"Stop!" Canma screamed, running after him. She easily outpaced Giichi, catching him within seconds.
Giichi aimed the handgun backwards, crying as he pulled the trigger. The shots went wild, striking the ceiling, the walls, and the floors, sending chips of concrete flying around. Canma gasped, stopping in her tracks as the dust rained down around her. He didn't want to fire the gun, but it was enough. It would slow her down, keep her from following him. Tears in his eyes, he kept running onward, further and further. Nail's screams continued to howl over the base's PA system.
Even so, he soon retraced his steps back to the hangar bay. Eventually he made it to outside the door, no longer needing the PA system's help to detect the sound of his bodyguard's cries. He took a deep breath, stepping through the door with the case in hand.
Nobody was looking at him, all of the attention still focused on two people tied to a support beam. His breath caught in his throat, seeing who was there. Shuro was dead, his head slumped forwards. Nail was an agonizing sight too, little chunks of his tail on the floor, cut to half of its length now. Even so, the canine stared at Wolf and the others with venom in his eyes, far more wild and feral than Giichi had ever seen him. It scared the hell out of him, seeing the normally emotionless Augustine Strafer degenerate into such a beast. Dear Thaal-Ja, how had it all come to this?
In the midst of his agony, Nail's eyes locked onto Giichi, stunned. The canine's surprise turned to terror upon seeing the cat standing there. The Star Wolf members around him were confused about what he was looking at, all of them turning to see Giichi. Wolf's face lit up upon spotting Giichi with the case in his hand.
"N-no!" Nail choked out. "Giichi! You idiot! Run!"
Giichi took a step back, wincing as he put a hand over his chest. He had never known Nail to call him an idiot. I made a big mistake. He raised the pistol, aiming it at Star Wolf, but he could not pull the trigger. How could he take a life? If he couldn't kill anyone, why the hell was he holding this gun? Why did he want to be a hero?
"Okay kiddo…" Wolf smiled. He paced across the floor with confidence in his step, reaching a hand out towards Giichi's gun. "Give me the gun, give me the case, and I'll let Nail go."
Giichi's eyes widened. Should he trust Wolf?
"Don't listen to him!" Nail screamed. "Get out of here!"
Sweat rolled down Giichi's face. While Wolf approached, the other Star Wolf members followed behind him too. Giant mercenaries wearing battle-scarred armor approached, their faces covered with scars, tattoos, and other markings indicating everything they'd been through. Giichi felt as small as a roach in the middle of them, their shadows covering the sunlight coming in from the open docking bay. They formed a semi-circle around him, blocking Nail from sight.
"Stay back!" Giichi held up the gun, waving it around.
None of them stopped. Every time he pointed his gun at one of them, the others moved in closer where he wasn't looking. Wolf was in front, reaching almost touching distance, as a leering smile crossed his face. Giichi jerked the gun at him, but Wolf ignored the weapon, a hungry look on his face as his eye locked with Giichi's. They both knew he didn't have the guts to fire.
Shoot now! Or you'll never get the chance!
Giichi shut his eyes, squeezing the trigger— A massive hand grabbed his wrist, squeezing it hard enough for the pistol to fall out of his hands. The sand cat looked up, seeing Ooveh towering over him. As the bear yanked his arm up, Giichi rose with it, being held aloft by one hand. He clawed at the bear's arm, but Ooveh's skin and muscle were so thick he ignored the scratches. Instead, Ooveh appeared sad, slowly shaking his head at the pitiful attempt to break free.
Wolf yanked the silver case out of Giichi's other arm, grinning a huge predatory smile as he turned it over in his hands. "Finally!" Wolf held the case overhead for everyone to see. "We're getting paid our one hundred million boys!"
A wild cheer went up amongst the group, throwing their hands in the air and giving each other high fives. There was even some celebratory gunfire, laser blasts striking the ceiling overhead and sending dust raining down.
As the celebration subsided, Wolf cast a devilish glare at Giichi. "Very kind of you sparing me the trouble of hunting you down, by the way." He turned to Ooveh. "Tie him up."
Ooveh produced a chain, quickly wrapping the sand cat's limbs, the cold metal freezing Giichi wherever it touched him. As the group dispersed, Giichi spotted Nail still strapped to the pole next to dead Shuro.
Giichi looked back at Wolf. "You'll…let Nail go now?"
"Of course!" Wolf laughed. "Leon, Tadao, let him go…over there."
He pointed at the open docking port, the rain still falling past the doorway. It was a drop of a few dozen stories to the canyon's floor.
Giichi's jaw dropped. Canma was right. Shuro was right. Nail himself was right too. Wolf was never going to let Nail live, no matter what happened.
Giichi thrashed around in his chains, trying to make his way to where Nail was, but the bindings held fast. The only thing he accomplished was tiring himself out. Leon and Tadao walked over to Nail, untying him from the post. They dragged him across the floor to the open docking bay. Giichi shouted and screamed with all his might, and he was so focused on Nail he didn't even hear his own voice. At last, Leon and Tadao finished their trip, hoisting Nail onto his feet.
The canine gave one last look at Giichi, his face blank again. But despite blank being Nail's default look, the sand cat sensed it was different this time. Nail had a blank face because despite everything Sentinel had done, despite all of their careful planning, despite all of their sacrifices, despite everything they'd put behind this mission, they had failed, and all of it was for nothing.
And it's all because of me… I gave Star Wolf the case…
Leon gave Nail a gentle push, sending him tumbling backwards out of sight. Nail didn't make a sound as he fell, Giichi hearing nothing but the rainfall outside as the canine tumbled away with it.
"Take him back to the Retribution." Wolf said, Giichi feeling numb as someone dragged him out of the docking bay.
~X~
A/N: I've been looking forward to writing this part of the story for a very long time, so I decided to keep going on Hazardous Contents. I'm glad I've finally made it here. How do you guys feel about the hand to hand combat in this chapter? I feel better at it than before but I'm wondering if it could be better.
We're not quite done with Act 1 yet, but it won't be long now...maybe one or two more chapters. Love is Blind could really use an update though. I'm debating if I want to push until I finish Act 1 of Hazardous Contents, or put up a Love is Blind chapter next. Thoughts, anyone?
Also, one more side note... With this update, I now have my first 100K+ word story on this site :)