Chapter 40: Caught
Location: Dalton Estate
Later that night…
It was closing in on midnight, and the residents of the mansion had eventually retired for the evening. Geoffrey immediately seized the opportunity and backtracked his way down to the grounds of the estate. His surveillance had yielded little additional information, except that there were adults on the premises that hadn't been seen previously.
"At least the Princess accepted my lie for being absent," he said.
Wanting to inform him on what she had learned, she had contacted him regarding his whereabouts. He had made the excuse that it was a security concern, something which she accepted. He doubted that she wasn't suspicious of his activities, especially given previous actions. Returning to the abandoned domiciles, Geoffrey began a reconnaissance of the estate grounds. With no guards encountered, the Government Agent was slightly more at ease as he made his way to the front of the mansion. Ducking into a nearby bush, the Skunk remained where he was, observing the building with his blue eyes. No one emerged in response, giving him the confidence to continue towards the entrance. Staying well within the bushes, he edged his way to the rock wall and hugged it all the way to the entrance. Peering inside, he immediately discovered that it led into a cavernous entryway. It was the ideal location for an ambush, and he wasn't stupid enough to fall for an obvious trap.
"Yeah, I don't think so," he murmured.
Completely bypassing the entrance, Geoffrey rounded the corner that brought him out onto a terrace overlooking the ocean. Elsecaro sat in the distance, the settlement was unlikely to slow down just because the sun had set. Making his way along the terrace, the Skunk quickly discovered that his reconnaissance wouldn't be as easy as anticipated. He way forward was blocked by several doors, which divided the terrace and made the rest of the estate grounds accessible only through the house itself.
"Who the hell was the architect for this place?"
Unprepared to enter the building, Geoffrey immediately began surveying his surroundings. Realizing that bypass the barricade would require him to get higher, the Skunk removed a Grapple Bolt from one of his pouches. Loading it into the crossbow mounted to his wrist, he took aim at the apex of the wall and fired. Giving the rope a tug, he confirmed that it had become anchored to something and capable of supporting his weight. Ascending the rope, Geoffrey eventually managed to haul himself up onto a section of the roof. He took a moment to survey the immediate surroundings, looking for a way to proceed forward. It wasn't a simple task, as the building's construction was completely nonsensical from an architectural standpoint. Making his way to the opposite side of the roof, the Skunk peered over the edge and the ground below.
"This is going to be a massive headache," he complained.
Attaching a grapple line to the roof, Geoffrey carefully began lowering himself towards the ground. It was powered by an electromagnet, allowing him to recover it without leaving precious equipment behind. Deactivating the magnet, he immediately stuffed the grapple away and continued his journey. After a great deal of frustration, the spy had finally managed to reach the rear of the estate. What grabbed his attention was the domed building, which occupied up a huge portion of the estate. Approaching the building, the Government Agent immediately discovered a massive vault door when he stepped inside.
"Interesting…," he muttered, "Why would such a thing be needed?"
Carefully making his way towards it, Geoffrey found that it was completely unremarkable. He couldn't fathom why the vault would be kept above ground, as it could hardly be considered secure. Studying the door, he located an electronic control panel had been embedded into the wall.
"I've tolerated your presence long enough," a voice said.
Whirling around, he took aim with his wrist-mounted crossbow and was immediately greeted by the one named Tarro. He was in a dressed in a white cotton bathrobe, a far cry from the loincloth he had seen him wearing. Firing off a taser bolt, the monkey-tailed boy snatched it out of the air and jabbed him in the stomach with it. Despite the protection afforded to him by the Stealth Suit, it didn't completely protect him from the electrical shock. He wasn't even allowed to collapse, as the boy seized him by the throat and lifted him off the ground with a single hand. As he slammed him against the wall, he kept him held there to display his inhuman strength.
"Let go…!" Geoffrey choked.
"Oh, knock it off. I'm not actually hurting you."
The sound of a jet engine reached his ears, and Geoffrey caught sight of the renegade Metal Sonic descending from the building's roof. He cast a glare at Sonic's robotic double, confirming that the situation was under control.
"Grab me some rope," he ordered, causing the mechanical Hedgehog to immediately depart.