Chapter 24 - Shadows Below the Clouds

Wolf had been trying to push down the familiar feeling of being rejected. He thought to himself it was overrated to say 'rejected', but it was still painful to him. This morning, he tried believing that everything would magically become better, but when he saw Snake not in the mood for talk, he knew something was up.

And to his misfortune, it was also the case with Wolf when he suddenly wasn't motivated to ask Snake if he was alright.

He didn't know why, but it felt like he couldn't get the words out of his mouth to tell him that it would be just him and Snake for the day. It came too late when he ended up paired with Diane and Piranha was assigned to work with Snake.

Well, it could be anyone else, but Wolf doubted Snake and Piranha would get along as a duo.

Something was holding Wolf back. It felt like a decaying layer of cement that hardened on him and he never got used to. Or, in fact, a coat that he hung back in Melbourne for a very long time and was forced to put back on his body. Whatever it was, it was a burden that he couldn't shake off.

He didn't really know what it exactly was. But he had a clear idea.

"You know that you savages were all created to start a REAL problem. I just cannot wait for the day when you'll fix them in the way WE should."

"That's why you have this change of heart coming back here; you don't give a crap about Stanley Chutney and everybody knows it!"

The words Thelma and Spalding exchanged with him yesterday were much like everyone else's in this city. It didn't want him here. The whispers seemed to die down a little, but he was on edge. Fearing that they would remind him of his place in the world, backed up by his father's misfortunes. Only a matter of time would it ignite.

And only a matter of time would show his friends that he wasn't worth it. He didn't feel like he had the RIGHT to tell everyone everything would be alright. Not after he didn't do enough to protect Snake. Not after everything he neglected.

He couldn't find his voice, only able to cover it with a calm smile. Let his charm make the act. Hide it away so no one wouldn't notice.

Diane seemed to notice. His silence was enough to tell.

The fox held his hand once they were on their way to find their targets. Walking like this on the street felt weird when Wolf was already engaged with Snake. However, Diane's presence somehow made his fur not to stand upward. He felt a little safe around her.

She knew about his past before. It was a mistake. He didn't give his consent when she discovered his journal long ago. While Snake also knew about his past, Wolf didn't want to burden his best friend and love with his. Snake looked like he had a lot on his mind now.

Meanwhile, Diane was an outsider. Someone different who didn't have much on her back yet proved to want to understand him. She thought it was a little unfair to trust her instead of confiding with Snake, but he was calmer around her. Diane knew Wolf as much as Snake could now.

This was what prepared Wolf physically and mentally for their next heist. Through an apartment building where several Sunnyside researchers were hiding. Neither of the two had their own mini spy robots, much like Snake's, so they had to do this manually.

With all the time they had and none of the researchers having plans of moving the Eden Apples anywhere, they decided to go with the safest option to ensure successful robberies.

Wolf made sure that he looked neat and dashing. He didn't need to worry when he wore his white suit or spy outfit, but he activated the disguise feature to appear more like a mailman. Except that it consisted of a baggy lime green jacket and a hard white helmet. Leaning against the brick wall, he patted down his jacket. He didn't want to appear too fat.

Once he could confirm that his jacket was dust-free, he sighed and knocked on the door nearby. The canine cleared his throat, lifting his chin high. His fluffy tail curled upwards, slowly swaying to demonstrate his convincing, calm demeanor. He wanted to ensure he looked convincing enough to be an innocent mailman.

Even though people might be questioning why he was delivering the package to their doors instead of leaving it behind in the apartment mailboxes, he had to get close to distract them for long.

He knocked again, waiting for a response.

There was shouting inside.

Despite his ears being covered by the helmet, he pressed his head against the door to hear properly.

Outside, Diane waited patiently, checking back on the window. She would say that her black ninja outfit gave herself away to those outside, but nobody seemed to call her from below. It was nearly silent all around her. Even though she could hear the normal traffic, in the air, she had nothing to worry about. No eyes from below willing to watch.

She didn't need to use a grappling hook. Her gloves and boots provided a special skin substance, allowing her to stick to the walls. Being the Crimson Paw for a long time, she could do this all day without growing tired of being in the same position. What frustrated her was that the researcher didn't answer the door.

The Sunnyside researcher was too busy venting at her husband.

"There are new buyers from our previous contacts," she said anxiously, pacing from one end of the room to the other. "We haven't even tested the Eden Apples to confirm they are compatible with anything! What are they thinking?!"

Her husband, a man with pale skin and a dark hoodie in contrast to the firm white coat, shrugged nonchalantly. He helped himself to a beer while sitting on the couch. He didn't dare slouch or cross his legs. He just appeared clueless about the problem despite his wife clearly distressed.

"Well, I think it's kind of a good thing," he muttered.

"A good thing?" said the researcher, scrunching her nose.

"Well, it is, isn't it?"

The researcher faked a laugh. "Oh, you're so right."

"Right?"

"No, it's wrong," snarled the researcher, snatching the beer bottle. "None of this is normal."

"Sorry, darling," said the hooded man, looking confused. "But I thought you were in it on the money."

"But not for something that the Eden Apples shouldn't amount to!" cried the researcher, swinging the bottle around. "Professor Franken practically overloaded the last ever prototype and there's a rumor in my group chat that one of us is using the Eden Apples to power a second gigantic guinea pig!"

The hooded man rolled his eyes. "You know that sounds absurd. You're going crazy-"

"Don't c-call…me that!" said the researcher, her breathing going shallow. "Do you have ANY other idea what this could mean if they sell them like THIS? And what could this mean for us?!"

The hooded man finally noticed the thoughts running through his wife's mind. Diane watched closely from the window, observing his indifference turning into soft sympathy. His eyes widened to show some emotion finally. He stood up and grabbed his wife by the wrist, gently removing the beer bottle from her hand. He wisely placed it aside, not wanting to break it by accident.

"Listen," he offered. "We'll find a job here that will suit you. A new identity. We can find a way to get away with it if it means doing the wise thing: heading the Eden Apples over."

The researcher blinked a couple of times before shaking her head, resigned. "You don't have to, alright?"

"Well, if you're gonna complain about this, what do you want me to do? I mean, you're a genius and I'm a sports team player. This isn't our first rodeo."

The researcher tried thinking, but she continued pacing around again. "I…I don't know. I just don't know. Seriously, the Eden Apples weren't made for this, but their production is the only way to secure our lives. We cannot last long here and returning to America is too dangerous."

Diane had been merely going on orders, not caring one bit due to the Sunnyside researchers' front being smug and dismissive. However, seeing this researcher breaking down made her feel sorry for her. The fox knew that these researchers weren't right in what they did, but it seemed like it wasn't truly easy for some of them.

Wolf knocked another time and this time, the researcher answered it. The canine was leaning against the door frame, the parcel in his hands about to slip out.

"Is this…erm…" Wolf looked back at the parcel. "...Fatty Lamb?"

The researcher had a look of offense, but that was overwritten by the hooded man gleefully pressing into the name.

"Fatty Lamb!" he said loudly. "Right here! Boy, I didn't think of using that. Shall we have that as your nickname?"

Even the researcher couldn't help but crack up, smirking. "It's Patty, first. And…I didn't know I had mail."

The couple didn't seem to question this. Diane hissed to herself with a grin underneath her mask. She snuck right through the window and made her footsteps as soft as possible. Her movements were only breezes of wind, fluttering by without notice. Her footsteps only left small, tiny thumps equivalent to a bug falling to the ground.

The chatter between Wolf and the couple was enough for her to sneak past them and make her search for the Eden Apple nearby.

"OK, who is giving me this exactly?" asked Patty.

"From your old fellow teammate 'Lucas Porter'," said Wolf with a confident smirk. "He switched to a new mailing organization and asked to send you this 'secret package'."

"Lucas?" said the hooded man, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't he go missing a long time ago?"

Wolf didn't panic but noted this flaw in his rehearsed lines. Diane just picked a random Sunnyside researcher's name to be written on the package and they went along with it as the supposed 'sender'. To say that they didn't take the time properly to do their study on Lucas would be an understandable problem.

"He just returned a couple of hours ago, safe and sound," improvised Wolf without missing a beat.

"And you're saying that despite the many months of his disappearance, the first thing he did when found was send me a package instead of sending me a text message?" questioned Patty.

"Yes."

Patty narrowed her eyes, leaning forward while stroking her chin. Her face was coming so close to Wolf's that he had to lean back, still pretending to be an average mailman. She was about to realize something looked off, especially the scratched cardboard box Wolf was holding…

But she was none the wiser. "Alright. Thank God the police aren't here."

Wolf's grin turned mischievous under the helmet. He pulled out a form and placed it on the package. Immediately, Patty got to work on filling the blank squares with a blue pen. A couple of scribbled words here and there.

To keep himself occupied, Wolf decided to try telling her what she needed to sign.

"Just sign here," he said flatly. "And here. And that's only optional. Put in your mother's name here. Your grandmother's name. Your great-great-great-grandmother's name. Your child's name here."

That part prompted Patty to grin, blushing. Of course, she wrote that gap in.

"We don't have a child," pointed out the hooded man, confused.

"And your life insurance."

However, the following few scribbles were more complicated to read.

"Shoot," said Patty. "Out of ink. Just a minute."

Tossing the blue pen aside, she raced into the small hallway around the corner. The hooded man turned to Wolf, crossing his arms.

"You look familiar," he said.

"So do you~!" improvised Wolf cheekily. "I get around a lot!"

The hooded man was becoming suspicious. Wolf pushed down the temptation to swallow. The disguise feature helped change his fur to appear a light brown color, but he was worried it might not work since he didn't change his yellow eyes.

Not to mention sightings of him running like a maniac yesterday. And at least three people already knew about the Bad Guys' spy disguises.

Fortunately, it didn't last when the hooded man unfolded his arms and smiled kindly.

"Where did you get those new eye contacts?" he asked. "I must have them!"

Wolf was silent for a while. "Well, you see. My eyes are-"

A loud siren went off. Wait, no, that wasn't the right word. More like a jumble of loud, sleazy dubstep sounds. Wolf's ears flattened underneath the helmet, hearing the awful layers of different harmonies overlapping. A catastrophe occurring in another room. He grinned tightly, trying his best not to wince. It was equivalent to when Moe tried playing a violin for the first time.

"Hey, honey!" called Patty's voice. "Did you invite this chick over for your-?"

Wolf's confidence shattered when he saw Patty being thrown across the room, crashing into the couch.

The hooded man spun around and the canine's first instinct was to ram the cardboard package into the man's head immediately. His body dropped and everything was still. Until he heard the man groaning.

Patty's groaning was the loudest. She slowly got up and saw the fully clothed Diane entering the scene.

"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!" she declared.

And just like that, she made a dash to the window and foolishly jumped right out.

Wolf and Diane nearly slammed into the window frame when they got close to it. They looked down, eyes wildly scanning around. They thought the researcher might be already gone since they couldn't hear her body splattering against the road, but then…

"I AM STILL FALLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING…!" shouted Patty jauntily

With an annoyed growl, Wolf hung his head, nonchalantly pulled out his grappling gun and shot it downwards. His catch of the day was successful, pulling the researcher by the leg right on time before she could hit the ground. Once he lifted her back up, Patty looked like she was already out of breath.

Lying on the floor and faced with the two mercenaries, she could only grin sheepishly.

"Does the package at least have poisonous gas?" she asked.

"No," said Wolf bluntly. "Only perfume bombs."

"...I'm sorry, what did you say?"

BANG!

Retracting the grappling hook, Patty fell to the ground limply, stars already circling around the top of her head. Wolf couldn't help but give Diane a judgy look, eyeing the frying pan the fox weaponized herself with.

"...you're the one who slammed a cardboard box into that guy's head," protested Diane.

"But mine is lighter," said Wolf. "I hope. But I didn't know you would get caught."

"The woman accidentally crashed into her iPad and it came into my radius."

"So you can hold your breath when hiding in the shadows but not when you got a rock concert blasting in your ears?"

"If close enough to a subwoofer." Diane snickered, rolling her eyes. "Make that a lesson to ensure all nearby devices are off. But there's a risk since it could look unnatural to your target when they observe. That's one way to become the Crimson Paw like me."

"Note taken," said Wolf, mocking a salute. "And I learnt to mask my feelings so I don't get crippled by the static noise and the walls that are about to crush me to death."

Diane whistled. "Another valuable lesson. By the way, I got the Eden Apple." She flicked around the small orb in her hand. "We only got a couple more to go."

After collecting a couple of Eden Apples, the two decided to retreat to the top of the apartment. Allowing Wolf to take the time to recollect his thoughts, Diane checked over the amount of the small Eden Apples in her pouches. Several of them and enough to fill her pockets. She smiled to herself as she took off her headset, proud of another successful robbery for good.

Her eyes trailed to the stains on the pouches. Matching the stained splatters on her ninja suit. The fox purred a little, brushing one of the stains on the robe. She had doubts about wearing this suit since the only reason was to find a suitable size for her. Looking at the red and blue stripes, she had no problem with it now. In fact, they looked quite fashionable, much like her original Crimson Paw outfit.

The outfit's material was soft, especially the scarf around her neck. It didn't feel like any spikes poking into her skin. It felt comfortable. Besides, this outfit aged over time, so it might be a little easy to stretch it around.

"What's with the stains all over your dress?"

"Don't ask me. This is the only size I can find. There's no laundry machine to be able to clean that up! Just make sure not to tell that to the leaders of the league. They are trying their best with the budget they have."

Remembering Shark's question, Diane herself didn't know where the stains came from. It was said to be passed on by previous agents, but what they did was a mystery. The stains were dark brown, but they didn't look like chocolate or mud. An ugly idea came to Diane's mind, which spelled out sinister actions these agents had done before.

Frowning, she shook her head. She shouldn't be worried about this. It was her own outfit now, so she could rename it into something better, right?

"Diane," said Wolf's voice, far away. "Remind me again. That one with Patty Lambs. We just made an open crime scene. Will we be in trouble?"

The fox decided to let that slide for now. She was involved with this, so Wolf shouldn't feel ashamed. Diane couldn't help smirking to herself, remembering the call she made back to Buck. He seemed to do a good job telling the city's police to step down.

"Don't worry," she reassured. "I got this one already covered."

From where Wolf was standing, he leaned against the balcony with his muzzle pointed downwards. She couldn't see his face but could tell he was in deep thought.

"You're sure about it?" he asked skeptically. "Because it looks like the police aren't going to let us go."

"Wolf, it'll be fine," said Diane firmly. "I promise. Let me take care of everything."

There was an audible sigh from Wolf. "OK."

Diane didn't expect to feel immediately bad when she heard Wolf's low-key delivery of the word. He appeared to have an opinion that was the opposite of OK. Diane wondered how Wolf exactly felt about her saying she handled it. Not to mention if he did find out that she told the police to back off. The fox's ears lowered, imagining Wolf not too happy with the idea.

"As soon as someone finds out, you'll have a larger hit pasted over your head. They will know how much power you have in covering your crimes."

Hornet's advice to her meant a different thing before. Now, could this relate to more? Diane nearly broke Wolf's trust once. She didn't want to do it again.

"Did you… hear their conversation?" Wolf asked suddenly. "What was going on there?"

The fox pushed back her worries in a neat, tidy box, walking forward to join Wolf. This would be a topic she would be confident in talking about. She casually hopped onto the top of the balcony wall, facing him in a good sitting position.

"Well, the thing with previous contacts coming to buy some of the Eden Apples?" said Diane casually. "I swiped Patty's phone to investigate what that was about. It's going to be at a black site tonight-"

"No, no," said Wolf. In full view, he was solemn. If his lowered ears weren't an indication, then his dull eyes were. "I…I know that. Sorry for interrupting, but the point is…she sounds really worried about it."

Diane was about to answer until she hesitated when she saw Wolf's eyes turn glassy again. His growing worry switched to the image of a leftover burning woodpile.

"Who am I kidding?" the canine growled darkly. "She got herself into trouble with creating the Eden Apples, causing this mess."

Diane remained quiet, hesitant. "Seems to be the case. She seems to have other ideas of-"

"Sunnyside Labs is already an awful place with a filthy community. I mean, who would root for them for holding a thousand guinea pigs hostage? It's their own fault that they will be in debt. They're the ones who will have their money gone."

Diane didn't need to ask further. The seething Wolf looked livid. His ears were twitching in agitation, his fingers were tapping the top of the balcony wall and his tail was swaying in an attempt to feel like he was dominant over the rest of the pack. There was no control over his fury. Then, Diane noticed that he was glaring at the city in front of them.

In Wolf's mind, he could already hear whispers in his head. He wanted to stare long at this city and see how it changed. The buildings looked the same with the same skyscrapers and homely apartments. The sun was shining, but it couldn't overcome the cloudy sky with the faint drizzle. The breeze was cold, but nothing like he couldn't handle the cold. However, seeing it again reminded him negatively that he never even belonged here.

It was all too normal and high for him to fit in. He knew he was just a mangy mutt in the end. The rest of the world knew this place better than him.

He closed his eyes, allowing the whispers to grow louder. A mouth came near with its hot breath brushing against his cheek, telling him he was better off dead from this forbidden excuse. He shook his head, wanting to pretend he didn't care. But for some reason, Wolf cared about what that voice said. It was trying to hurt him.

Diane hummed sadly, shuffling close to Wolf. "Don't listen to what Thelma and Spalding said. You know that, right?"

Wolf's eyes snapped open, fatigued. "Stop. Just…stop, Diane. Did you remember what they were right about?"

"Doesn't excuse them for hurting you and Snake," said Diane, gripping her hands into fists.

"No," said Wolf, holding one of Diane's fists and uncurling it gently. He might be angry, but he was tired from the bruises. Whether on him or someone else. "And you were suspicious when my dad chose not to arrest us."

He felt mute, but with Diane in front of him, a nagging feeling encouraged him to spit it out loud. He couldn't with Snake, but the fox got close to knowing him on a deeper level. They had this confrontation before, but Wolf didn't want to make it too harsh this time.

He sighed, his hand stroking through his ears in a nervous tic. "I drove out of Melbourne because I thought my father was better without me. For what I wasn't able to." He paused. It wasn't an excuse. He knew it, closing his eyes. "And it's my fault. Sometimes, I wish that we were more fortunate. So my father…wouldn't be on the streets."

The canine crossed his arms, considering curling himself up in a ball. The whispers were starting to come back again and they were nibbling on his skin. He needed to say more before they reminded him to.

"When you gave us the offer, I thought it would be another way to be a hero," he admitted. "To be better AND feel better. I'm still a mercenary, but I thought this would be proof that I had grown up already. And, of course, so my friends don't stay in prison forever. I didn't want to sound selfish, which was why I tagged anyway. And for some reason, I thought…it might help Snake and it didn't…"

His heart shook, feeling like it could break. But it couldn't. It was pumping from the pent-up guilt and sorrow for Snake's dilemma The reptile was more vocal about returning o Melbourne. He was also the one who helped him calm down from his previous freakouts. But once up close to an old enemy of his, Snake's shield broke into a million pieces.

And the worst part was Wolf nearly had no idea of how he could comfort Snake. When the two of them know what they said wasn't just biased.

Diane was already concerned. She hopped down from the balcony wall and held onto one of Wolf's hands, gently rubbing it in the hope of comforting him. Wolf barely reacted at all. To him, it was a brush of air.

"It's not easy seeing the curves up ahead," she said quietly. "You know I screwed up the last time I tried helping you."

"This is different," muttered Wolf, letting his arms drop limp. "Who am I kidding? I shouldn't be telling you this. I don't want to pressure any of you."

"I can respect if you don't want to tell your friends yet," said the fox, careful with how loud her voice was. "But it's eating you. You can take the time, but you'll need to tell them. They DO want to help. At the moment, I know that it was wrong I pried into the life you hid without your consent. But now, I can try to understand what's wrong. I do want to help you."

A whisper hissed at Wolf that his friends were better off without them. However, Diane told him that his friends would want to help him bring back a memory of when Shark, Piranha and Webs arrived to save them from Marmalade. And that was after he accidentally pushed them away from his argument with Snake.

It made him feel awful for not trusting them to understand, but Diane made a good point. She learned as well from hearing his and Hornet's side. Wolf's demeanor gradually changed, his shoulders rising in a returning sense of wanted dignity. Turning his head to her, he stepped closer to her.

His head was still in a blunder of emotions, so he blurted out what else he might be feeling.

"I don't even know what to do," he said sadly. "Oliver doesn't know what to do. And…"

He paused. He was shocked that he dared to say his real name. More along relating to 'Oliver' as his previous self. The last time he did, he proclaimed 'Oliver' to be dead. But it turned out, he could still hear his voice. The new whisper in his head resembled HIS voice when young.

Crying that he wanted his parents.

And so did his father's voice, who didn't even mention what condition he was in.

"So if you ever want to visit me, you can come over to visit, son."

Wolf could feel his fur bristling with a new chill of hope. He pulled out the paper card that included the written address. It had been a while since he last remembered, but he felt familiar with the place where he used to live. And there was the offer to come home to see his father. Stanley was waiting to talk with him again.

The one permanent place in Melbourne where he could be free.

The world brightened when he smiled. "I think I know what to do. How much time do you think we will have left for today's hunt?"

Diane already knew what he meant. "Only a couple of buildings left around and that's all we can collect on the radar today. We have to discuss the black site later, but we got a lot of time after noon." The fox paused, sheepish. "And Kitty expects me for a 'special lunch offer'."

Wolf nodded, his original, confident persona returning. "Think she will mind bringing along takeaway?"

Snake was surprised that he slept through the night really well. But when he woke up, yesterday's events replayed in his mind.

He didn't concentrate well in the morning meeting, Diane's words nearly becoming a blur. The reptile only muttered some 'OK' and 'sure' here and there whenever he barely heard someone asking if he was paying attention. Otherwise, no one seemed to notice a thing since he had already returned to his grumpy self. He thought bitterly that it was the only good thing; at least no one would remind him of yesterday.

He should have noticed who he was paired with today since he ended up with Piranha. Wolf decided to ride along with Diane and Webs decided to catch up with Shark. At first, Snake was disappointed in himself since he didn't want to handle Piranha that much, but eventually, it passed by strangely.

It was probably due to Piranha trying to be a responsible adult and wanting to watch over the helicopter mom Fuchsia for 'good behavior'.

Which was currently happening at the moment.

They arrived at the crowded laneways of the city. Everybody must be more interested in the brunch special as each restaurant appeared scarce in available seats. Their trackers detected a couple of people carrying Eden Apples. Searching for them with the crowd as a cover wouldn't be too bad. The laneway's constantly moving traffic should help with this.

Just too bad that Fuchsia's knife hiding under her jacket was around. As they entered, Piranha was already giving her specific instructions on what to do. There were no close-ups on the knife. Most of the strollers only briefly stared at Fuchsia's goth appearance before looking away. Only a broody dog.

Despite forcing himself to stay focused, Snake felt like he was way behind the mission. He couldn't stop dwelling on the stressful day before. He thought sleep would refresh him, but waking up seemed only to get him to remember the exact place he was in.

It was no lie that he would have just gone along with the pettiest insults to him. Some of them would be damn facts about his species. But Spalding's words remained in his head. He felt wary of his surroundings even when he tried not to think about them.

He thought he could stay strong, but…something didn't feel right. He didn't feel like he was in the right place at the right time. It only remained the same. The dull walls and the ignorant crowd overshadowed the colorful signs around him. A sense of loneliness stirred inside him. He remembered too well how long he walked through these lanes alone.

Snake's worry worsened when he recalled the strange pink-haired girl named Adeline.

He could have called it luck that she made him feel slightly better, but it was only for a moment. She wasn't like the kids he met at the zoo. Her hands could glow in a neon color and her body glitched out when she prepared to hide away. If the reptile could, he would ask her, but Adeline was clearly far from normal.

But her relation to the Dreary Dream University tipped him off since she reacted strongly. She could be a student of the university. Worse, an ambassador. Maybe she might want to make it a safe space. She didn't even seem to be in her 30s, so she must be new to learning all of the messes in the world.

A part of him felt grateful for her giving him some advice, but another part felt that he didn't deserve it. He didn't ask to feel better since he had just survived David's transformation and Spalding's punches. And he didn't know how genuine and creepy Adeline might be since she was connected to Spalding somehow.

"You know that you savages were all created to start a REAL problem. I just cannot wait for the day when you'll fix them in the way WE should."

Those words echoed in his mind. He had no idea if Adeline agreed with Spalding. But whatever the case, it wasn't like anything could be fixed. Spalding had it all. Snake didn't and he never had a pill to make him functional.

Upon hearing Piranha's voice calling him, he decided to suck his thoughts up and push them aside for now.

As Snake caught up with Piranha, he noticed the little fish taking his sweet time to observe the busy stores of Melbourne. With a deep breath, Piranha let himself get lost in the busyness of the moving crowd. While Snake looked apathetic to the arcade traffic, Piranha found himself excited by the openness of these small streets. Like a maze yet not every corner was the same.

The chatter felt like everyday, one topic and then moving on to another. But you would see the casual and friendly nature whenever people meet at diners. There were barely any loners eating alone. It greatly told Piranha of this significance, remembering the families that stick together in LA.

He sniffed again. An air of smoking grill, leftover garbage and the morning rain that stained the curtains. Another hallmark of the alleyways he might hide in. Chaotic yet it wasn't enough to steer these folks away. Once used to it, you wear it like your perfume. Kind of disgusting, but at least no one was complaining.

Looking back at Snake, he looked like he wanted to slither away. It was too enclosed. But Piranha didn't feel this way. It didn't feel too narrow. In fact, it gave him a sense of community. In this tiny space, it was still inclusive for all. No one minded the narrow space in this laneway. It was as rich as it could be, as much as it could be as gray as it could be. Appearances were just for show, as proven by people passing by him: a little piranha walking around.

It even reminded Piranha of his own home. He smiled, feeling his fins wiggling in a tingle. It nearly made Piranha consider this as his new home.

"Um, you two," called Fuchsia nearby. "Are those glowing orbs…what you need?"

[The River Is Rising - Slash feat. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators]

[0:00]

The two Bad Guys turned to where she was looking at. Her face was near the window. They spotted the glowing turquoise orbs in the hands of some of the drunken patrons inside this small, humble bar. There were empty cups of beer and a smell tempting Snake to rip out his nostrils if he had any. He couldn't spot a single skinny person in there.

The television was on and a loud cheer would erupt whenever a team kicked the ball into the goal. Snake couldn't help but groan at the noise. Looks like they have to get messy here.

He rechecked his scanner. There seemed to be more Eden Apples in this bar, but they were still spread out. He took numerous jelly snake robots from his pouch, setting them on the ground to slither across the street to hunt for the Eden Apples around the laneway.

Snake half-expected Piranha to grab one jelly snake to eat, but he was more focused on Fuchsia taking out her knife.

[0:18]

"Alright!" she said enthusiastically. "Who do you want to kill first?"

Boy, if she wasn't acting creepy before, she was now. This was the first time Snake saw her smile or at least grin. But the sharp-toothed, yellow grin was something that would follow him into his nightmares.

Even Piranha was creeped out. "Wait, what?! We're not killing anyone!"

"And yet, everyone in there is fine when someone dies from an overdose?" asked Fuchsia sarcastically. That statement gave her ideas. "Oooh, maybe just tamper the drinks."

"Slow down, kiddo," hissed Snake, grabbing Fuchsia's knife. "Don't drag us into your little murder party."

"I'm the same age as Piranha, mister!" snarled Fuchsia.

"Whatever. Those guys in there might look insufferable-"

"And white trash as well," commented Fuchsia. "I mean, look at them partying hard with no common sense."

[0:33]

Snake slapped her over her head, nearly knocking off her rose crown. "But we're not going to draw any attention in the crowd. Let the professionals handle this one."

Fuchsia paused, glancing at Piranha. One look and she remembered. "Fair point. I nearly forgot that this is not the right place to hide things."

Piranha sighed. "Just go and buy some coffee or…look for anyone acting suspicious. I mean REALLY suspicious and likely to be a scientist."

The red-eyed piranha bit her lip. It was at that moment when it came to her that Snake's disapproval was pretty clear. "You know what? A repeat of yesterday wouldn't work. I mean, I might end up facing people who don't deserve things coming."

"Well, civilians walking through here wouldn't use their self-defense skills immediately if you act first," said Snake. "Just ruffle them up. No killing."

Fuchsia pouted, but she dropped it after two seconds. "Fine…well, hope you can handle the drunkards."

[0:49]

The reptile didn't bother watching her waddle off, already poking his head through the gap of the door. Piranha followed, putting his hood over his head. He and Snake activated the thin shield, covering their scales in pink and green, respectively.

As Snake decided to keep his head low, he looked to his left to see Piranha climbing up on a table and leaping onto a chandelier.

Letting Piranha do his thing, Snake slid underneath the crowd of sweaty, BO-stinking, hairy blokes. He did his best not to stand up straight, but nobody noticed him. He could hear the laughter and the singing and the kissing, too intoxicated to see a snake crawling around. It wasn't hard for him to steal the Eden Apples quickly from pockets and tables.

Being a previous pickpocket and trained Wolf to do the same, Snake knew what he was doing. He was more of a cracker, but he still had his skills from his previous years of crime. He snitched the Eden Apples from his suspects without being seen.

He didn't need to see who he stole them from since those Sunnyside researchers wore clothes like everybody else in the bar.

He pondered why anyone would casually bring a dangerous weapon into this bar. There were already so many flammable bottles here. But then again, these researchers would just want to show off, like back at the Queen Victoria Market he visited.

At one point, he stopped when he spotted what appeared to be…candy cereal in a dog's bowl. He flicked his tongue out, suddenly invested.

The candy cereal looked really colorful, especially with the overload of glitter on the rainbow curls.

But its innocence was so appealing and Snake only ate light breakfast.

Making sure no one was looking, he slithered over and gulped the whole bowl. His eyes then fell for what looked like a squishy dog bone toy in polka dots. Oh, that one Wolf would like. He was about to steal it when he felt someone grabbing him by the throat.

[Pause at 1:12]

His world nearly stopped when he felt the meaty hands gripping his body tightly. Vivid memories of Spalding catching him, especially yesterday, flooded his vision. Pulling him closer to squeeze him.

All of a sudden, Snake felt afraid.

And he was already pulled close to a rugged-looking guy.

Run.

His mind suddenly screamed at him to run, but his body wouldn't let him.

He felt ice cold.

Fortunately, Piranha dropped from the ceiling and punched the man downwards. As fast as Snake was strangled, the man dropped to the floor and Snake was released, unharmed. There was a loud cheer when Piranha landed on an empty table, losing it when he bowed down.

Snake blinked. One moment, he was nearly about to be taken away like he was restrained and then the next thing he knew was staring down at the guy who grabbed him.

The 40-something looked sweatier and his lips were puckered. Those lips were still puckering. It sickened Snake, giving him the idea that the stranger would have kissed him.

But at that thought, he slowly shrank backwards. He nearly overreacted. It didn't help that he forgot that the thin shield would have protected him anyway. As his mind was already developing worries, he didn't feel comfortable in this bar anymore.

Some of which involved what if Piranha didn't make it in time.

His tail slowly rubbed his neck, but when he touched his scales, he moved it away. It felt REALLY sore.

"Chico!" said Piranha, coming close to Snake's face. "You're alright?"

Snake shook his head, snapping out from his worry. His stomach growled. His appetite wasn't there anymore.

The second the stranger got back up, he reflexively vomited out the cereal bowl. Well, at least that was something he was already familiar: the feeling of something bulging out of his throat softly, the acid rising through his throat and the remaining saliva dripping from his lips. He didn't get to see, but the stranger collapsed back, followed by a wet and crunchy sound when he landed.

Many eyes were already on them, shocked.

"...yeah, I'm not gonna be on janitor duty again," said Piranha sheepishly.

Snake didn't need to say much as he dragged the little fish out of the bar. He wanted to stay away from this bar now. Besides, they already have all the Eden Apples from here.

The next one and a half hours wasn't eventful, thankfully. Their search became more repetitive than unexpected. Piranha would likely complain that it was getting boring, but Snake found it relaxing. No person towering over him. No tricks leaving him vulnerable. No more shocks.

The jelly snake robots he sent out proved helpful as they already collected the Eden Apples the two Bad Guys wouldn't be able to reach.

[Resume at 1:12]

After collecting most of the Eden Apples, Snake and Piranha eventually took a break. The available spot was right at a bakery cafe, but they sat outside not to draw too much attention. There were already eyes staring at their presence and spy outfits.

Still, both Bad Guys were pleasantly greeted by the warm smell of coffee and brown sugar from the cafe inside, not too far from the cafe. The sweet smell, the constant chatter and the music playing from inside of another kind.

Piranha's tongue stuck up, floppy. Already nearly out of breath from their successful steals, he was feeling hungry. The goofy look caught the small smile of Snake, amused by the puppy eyes and the wide eyes. Seeing Piranha's silly dog-like face entertained Snake in this dump despite his apprehension.

The reptile let out a deep sigh, leaning his head against the chair's headrest. He didn't want to relax if he started thinking back to older memories, but he noted that he was already growing tired. His worn-out body couldn't help laying back for now.

"So, what shall we have now for lunch?" asked Piranha.

"It's not even 11 AM yet, bud," snarked Snake.

"Oh. Might as well get some good old coffee?"

And he got his snack when one of Snake's jelly snake robots returned. Piranha jumped upwards, but Snake expected it. He stoically grabbed the Eden Apple the jelly snake robot was carrying…and his expression cracked when he heard a loud hiss from inside.

[1:36]

The coffee machine at the counter was steaming up, much to the bartender's surprise. He wouldn't then expect milk cream exploding out from it.

As nearly every customer observed the surprising scene, Snake whistled innocently and Piranha whooped loudly.

"Whoo! Another great steal!" Piranha said, patting the jelly snake robot. "Though, that's new!"

Snake rolled his eyes in ignorance. "Guess we did them a favor to ensure buildings don't blow themselves up."

Before he could reach out to grab the jelly snake robot, Fuchsia dropped in. Literally dropping a tray of food right onto it. And the unmistakable sound of the jelly snake being squished to death. Snake only had a few seconds to mourn his loss before paying his attention to what the red-eyed piranha brought over.

"It would be their fault," interjected Fuchsia, hopping onto a seat. "They're the ones who added in a-"

Piranha immediately placed a finger over Fuchsia's lips. "Shush. Don't read into this. You shouldn't be too attached."

Fuchsia just narrowed her eyes. "…I think I will be."

To reinforce this, she took out her phone and took a picture of the malfunctioning coffee machine.

"Bummer," grunted Piranha.

"Fortunately," said Fuchsia. "I brought some drinks and cakes before the coffee machine went haywire. Make your pick."

[1:53]

Expectedly, Piranha took the ice chocolate for its ice cream scoop appeal on top. Of course, he would want that. Fuchsia's was a big coffee latte with two marshmallows. She sure wanted to stay awake. For Snake, he didn't bother checking what Fuchsia bought for him. Upon the first sip, he nearly refrained his tongue due to how hot it was. Bitter but sweet. Mocha, he guessed

Fuchsia mixed the plates of cakes around each of them. Quite a lot. But Snake felt alienated by the sight of cakes. Fuchsia turned to him and pushed a plate of lamington to him.

"No, thank you," he muttered. "I'm not a cake guy."

"Well, I'll take the honors in trying this one in my life!" said Piranha, taking the cake.

He was greeted with the buttery cake and its chocolate coating. The flaky coconut brought a new texture to this cake, bouncing around on his tongue. He smiled in pleasure, loving the texture.

"This is one of the cakes that originated here, right?" asked the little fish.

Snake flicked his tongue in faux annoyance. "Don't know, don't care."

"You're sure you don't want any cakes? That drink won't fill you up, chico."

Snake looked back at the diversity of cakes in front of him. However, his appetite wasn't there, even if it would have been anything other than cake.

"No," he said, sounding quite tired. "I'm all good."

Even though Snake seemed to be smiling, it was somewhat forced rather than genuine. At this moment, Piranha could see Snake's lack of energy. He knew the reptile to be thoroughly focused and shrugging off many annoyances. But this felt like a new kind of grumpiness. Something that made Snake less…snappy?

"Something's on your mind," the little fish started.

"No, it's not," muttered Snake monotonously.

"...yeah, something's on your mind."

Snake thought of saying something sarcastic to brush off Piranha's suspicions, but he didn't feel like doing so. The mocha he was having wasn't enough to make him feel lighter than ever. His eyes shifted to the people walking through the street. This narrow laneway suddenly got him exposed to his personal bubble.

The reptile knew he was hung up on Spalding's words. Piranha was there to see it. He felt a lump forming in his throat, feeling helpless again. He would never tell one of his fellow Bad Guys about this, but it seemed to be an open book by now.

The first thing that came to mind was envy.

[2:38]

"I have no idea how chill you are coming here," grumbled Snake. "I know we all came together since the world doesn't see us as the same anymore, but you handled it with no sweat."

Piranha delivered a curious head tilt, a puppy-like wonder to what Snake was referring to. "I keep a high head, so thank you? It's only a couple of days. We hid that long from the authorities. No hay problemo!"

But when Snake's face didn't change, Piranha got a gut feeling that it was more due to how he felt to be back here. His old 'home'.

Piranha took another deep sniff. There were so many people together above the smell of street food, the stench of garbage on the curb and the slight wetness from the morning rain. Crowded, but they were all together of different races and species. A sense of harmony in this tiny space like everyone could belong.

He looked back at Snake. He didn't see it the same way Piranha felt.

The little fish didn't want to assume but he decided to ask cautiously. "Is it from yesterday? Or last night?"

Snake felt embarrassed to say, but before he could refuse, he felt a sense of betrayal. But not him being betrayed. Piranha and the other Bad Guys were the best people he should talk to.

"Yes," he confirmed.

Unfortunately, he forgot that Fuchsia was listening as well. "What exactly happened?"

Snake closed his eyes, shaking from the full story. "It's just some…run-in with a guy I don't like. Let's just say that he's right."

[3:11]

Piranha's eyes softened. Gone was the playfulness and it was replaced by sympathy. He placed his hands in the middle of the table, wanting to reach out to Snake.

"Snake," he said, his tone somber and serious. He was taking this seriously. "We know that he's talking nonsense. And if what Shark said was true, his daughter doesn't know what she's thinking."

"No, Piranha, you…"

Snake took a moment to think. He suddenly felt bitter that Piranha never experienced something like this before. Not like the little fish was ever fazed. He knew that he had a point, but Snake was scared to believe that.

"...sorry, mate. You don't know a thing. I get that…it's…not appropriate?" Another pause to swallow up the urge to tear up. "But, how can you blame him? He knows what he is doing. A pug like him could fit easily."

Piranha was struck by an image of Snake screaming when Spalding grabbed him by the neck. That was the second time he ever saw the reptile THIS afraid. In the present, despite not appearing scared, Snake's half-lidden eyes gave the impression of wanting to crumble and lie down forever.

His voice was even calm, not cracking in emotion. He was trying to resign himself to whatever torture he experienced.

To Fuchsia, Snake's voice was flat. To her, he got used to the stigma.

"These kinds of people in this fancy city never know how to split, do they?" she said quietly.

"Fuchsia, you're not exactly helping here," growled Piranha.

The red-eyed piranha huffed. "I'm not sugarcoating anything."

Snake gave this a thought. He thought back to Spalding attacking him. Sneering at him with disdain. Having the freedom to punch him when he couldn't get himself to attack.

"No, no, you're…you're right," he admitted.

[End of Song - 3:42]

"Put it this way; we are never returning to that university," said Piranha firmly. "Me and Shark already cleared it out."

Fuchsia raised her hand. She felt like she should have a say in this. Maybe at least to find common ground with Snake so he wouldn't feel alone. Her red eyes were in a lighter shade, sympathizing with Snake's plight.

Maybe this might be the best thing to do? Snake was often the cynical one out of the group.

"Can I be frank here?" she asked.

Snake nodded, waving his tail like a hand.

Piranha was about to protest, but Fuchsia already started speaking.

"Pepe, I don't know if you remember this saying, but…what comes around goes around." Fuchsia rubbed the back of her head, knowing that this interpretation wasn't going to be fair. "I know it's overused, but given how long you guys will be here, it's not a walk in the park. And if it's that bad for Snake, there are more people in this city who aren't forgiving."

"Most of those people are just scared," added Snake.

"That's true, but I don't believe it's just fear. It's…anger." She picked up a fork, twirling it in her hand. She admired the sharp prongs. The three prongs that could act as a weapon. Triple the weapon, actually. And they could plunge into the skin with enough pressure and that wouldn't be driven by fear. "Whenever someone is having a 'bad day', they turn it on someone they believe is below them."

Piranha was unaffected. "Not like it would solve anything, Fuchsia."

"You're one to talk to."

Piranha tried not to grit his teeth. "At least I'm trying not to do worse. People would get themselves into trouble when taking things on others. Marmalade did when he tried to mess with us. Most of Los Angeles were robbed because of what they saw in us. The cops were nearly called when Thelma drenched my friend in fake blood! How does that prove we should be targeted?"

Snake could see sense in this, but what hurt the most was the thought of him being better…and people who did not want him to be better. Trying to tell him of his place in the world as the biggest crime. Well, he had already committed many crimes, but most of what he was told was due to him being a dirty, old, no-good monster. No one could ignore where he came from.

The reptile rested his chin against the table, wistful. "But they don't want to believe it."

"Exactly," agreed Fuchsia, waving her fork. She didn't want to scare Snake, so she pointed it in the opposite direction. But as she swung around, she glanced at the silver coating. A lot of weapons people could pick up when provoked. "And that's the danger of trying to walk away. It's easy for people to rely on the worse if it's still a trigger. That's their reason to stick around to slaughter."

She slowly turned the sharp prongs at a couple of strollers. Ignorant humans who had no idea where they were going. Aimless in their path. And they would continue being the same. She knew Snake never had it easy with them, so it felt right to point at those naive people.

"I don't believe in luck, but it's random. No one is ever willing to learn their lesson. This pug you met, if he still has a job, then that goes to show how not learning their lesson is still easy to do. You forgot how society functions, Pepe."

Piranha's heart skipped a beat. "Fuchsia…"

"No, no," said Snake, looking down. "It's not a big deal. I agree with her. We didn't learn our lesson until Wolf took 'being good' more seriously, right?"

Piranha wanted to argue back. But they were on the same page. Nothing would go right if he argued back to his friend on the opposite side. The reptile wasn't just sulking. His own experience justified his pessimism. He didn't hesitate with Fuchsia's views. In the end, it was only little, sweet Piranha having too many quarters in his pockets.

Even when Wolf encouraged them to go good, he just went with it out of helping his friends and not thinking of how it could improve his life.

Even Fuchsia didn't look like she was bragging or being condescending. She looked resigned, dark. Was this some kind of sick joke, thought Piranha. How could she not see she was only getting deeper into people's skins?!

The little fish felt stupid. His eye twitched, but he controlled it quickly. It didn't solve him feeling this hurt. All thanks to dark Fuchsia putting Snake down. Piranha strained to counter Fuchsia's points, but nothing came. It…felt like a dead end. If he did, Snake might not listen. And strangling any of them was already put aside.

Piranha frowned to himself. No, he wasn't going to let Snake down like this. He was his Mr. Grumpypants as well. What would he do in Snake's shoes to make him feel better?

And then, an idea came to mind.

The little fish's eyes widened in an epiphany.

It had to! It would be something Snake-like! This would blow off steam, he believed.

It would break his goal of staying mature, but…he also needs to prove he cares.

Piranha took a deep breath and placed on a toothy grin. Let the self-doubt be painted with something nice. "How about this? If Spalding doesn't learn his lesson, neither can we. I think I know something that definitely makes you feel happy."

Snake lifted his dull eyes, uninterested. "What?"

Piranha's grin widened, revealing the craziness he suppressed. "Revenge!"

Snake blinked. He considered it, but it didn't last. He felt so beaten down that he wanted to leave the city.

"I don't want revenge," he said, trying not to croak.

"I do," said Piranha, crackling his fists. "And it's worth it if 'Pig' gets just desserts. You wanted to use our disguises to do whatever we wanted in the city, right? Why not show him that he should be genuinely fearing us?"

Snake's eyes widened. He nearly forgot. He was so upset that he forgot this…power he was given.

"Sure, it went all cosy for you lot. But don't you ever wish you might get the same feeling as before? With being feared again?"

It was nothing compared to being a mercenary now. He was unstoppable as the unapologetic cracker. The person everyone should run away from. The person who constantly looked down on people like idiots. It made him feel invincible like he didn't care about anything.

And whenever cracking locks, he could dig his way into anything. Anything he desired. He wanted to feel that again.

Just as he was about to smile, Fuchsia's eyes widened in horror.

"You mean…?" she asked.

"We find Spalding Dreary's house and spray some guacamole!" said Piranha, winking at her. "And we don't need to use bombs; do you still have some dye?"

Fuchsia's eyes flashed to yesterday when she was used as a netball by the basketball jocks.

As intense as her flashbacks, so was her refusal. "Oh no, no, no! You can't be serious!"

"Don't worry, hermena!" reassured Piranha, gently patting the red-eyed piranha on the back. "I have a plan!"

"But what would happen if it were like what I got into?! I'm not letting you make the same mistake I did! We can't just go in now!"

"We'll be fine!" said Piranha. "Just watch! Consider it as your next lesson about being a criminal. Right, Snake?"

Snake eventually didn't hesitate with Piranha. He nodded, a small, ambitious smile forming.

"Sure," he approved. "Let's…do so."

Piranha beamed, pleased that he was able to cheer Snake for once.

To his relief, Snake immediately snapped back to his ordinary Grumpypants self. "But if Wolf asks, I'm blaming you."

Piranha snorted. "Sure, sure. He won't believe us anyway."

AN: It feels fitting to include both separate moments of Wolf and Snake as they dwell on yesterday's events. There are some good chunks of humor before getting serious, though there comes the debate on how they view things now, especially towards Melbourne.

Of course, the disguises still work. Always has been. Thank you, Murder Drones.

The revenge plan Piranha comes up with is inspired by Bumblebee. He's trying his best, so please don't hate him.

Interestingly, this chapter is one of the few instances where I emphasized the city of Melbourne. I learnt about the city in literature earlier last year, especially in Australian literature. Previous short stories described this sense of alienation and loneliness from the rush and size of Melbourne itself. Snake fits this role as the jaded observer, exhausted, weary and lonely in the crowd.

And to fit the dynamic, I have Piranha taking on a more optimistic look; I used the feeling of my childhood memories of exploring Melbourne, detailing the wonder and what one can be happy about. But is it all just an illusion?

Thanks for reading this chapter? What do you think of the emotional moments? Let me know in your reviews. If you enjoy this story so far, be sure to favorite or follow. Constructive criticism is appreciated, but if any flames, then it's down the drain.

Until next time, keep on rocking!