Thanks for keeping the reviews coming, guys. I had a lot of fun with this chapter... Maybe too much. Longer chapter too; previous chapters were mostly just dialog. Also, as a quick plug, I now have a new YouTube channel for my reviews- details in profile as always.
LAST WARNING TO READ ANGELS FIRST BECAUSE THE BACKSTORY STUFF IS REALLY GOING TO START PAYING OFF HERE.
"Well... I'm gonna guess that we're in the right place," the bat said to the fox lying beside her.
"I'd have to agree," Tails replied. 'The right place' was a mountainside somewhere in the wilderness of North Chinazerbaijanistan. For such a remote location, the area was surprisingly lively. The place they overlooked had become an impromptu and haphazard circular parking lot for military vehicles populated by a hundred soldiers. "We should do a flyover and scope it out."
The mission: a satellite had crashed down in unfriendly territory. Territory which was not friendly enough to simply return the satellite and its contents to the rightful owner if asked, and unfriendly enough to not let anyone in to personally retrieve it either. It was a 'delicate geopolitical situation'. GUN would prefer that a certain part of the satellite didn't fall into said nation's hands but didn't want to risk sending their own agents into hostile territory either. A pair of officially unaffiliated animals, on the other hand, were choice candidates. A cynic might say they were expendable assets, but an optimist might say only they could make this NOT a suicide mission.
"Good call," Rouge agreed. Rising up, they spread their flying appendages and took off. Separating, they flew high above the massive campsite where they hopefully would not be seen. He couldn't see much new from his side but at least gained a handle on the entire site. Of particular note was the massive tent in the middle with a long trench leading to it that didn't look naturally made. The two reconvened after completing their pass, returning to their original prone positions. "See anything good?" she asked despite likely having seen everything he did.
"The crash site must be underneath that big white tent."
"Probably. Got any ideas about sneaking inside it?"
If a thief was asking for ideas, it was clearly a tall order. "Without being seen? No. And I doubt we could get out in one piece after that."
"Oh, you underestimate my abilities."
"No offense, but I doubt it."
She did an exaggerated HMPH. "So then what? You have any other ideas?"
"We'll probably have better luck getting it while they're transporting it to..." He faltered. "...wherever they want to transport it to." He quickly added, "One of their own bases, likely," to sound less dumb.
"Then we jump on the truck? Sounds good, foxy." It was a far cry from her attitude on their first mission together where she clearly didn't want any of his input. A part of him had worried that she might still be stubborn, but she now seemed willing to defer to his judgement despite being the senior spy here. Good... I don't know if I could handle dealing with another Sonic... They thus waited. The sun set and night fell, sliding the odds slightly in their favor... if they could stay awake. He yawned long and hard. "Getting past your bedtime, kiddo?"
"That joke's getting kind of old."
"Only slightly faster than you are." He shot her an unamused look. "Well, since we're just waiting here, you can go ahead and take a nap. I'll keep lookout and we can switch in a few." Part of him wanted to act more like a big boy and stay up but he knew it was a sound idea; even operatives needed to sleep out in the field whenever possible to be at the top of their game. Swinging his tails around, he curled them up with his arms acting as a cradle for the makeshift pillow. He settled in for sleep but soon realized he made a mistake. Opening his eyes, he saw Rouge gazing back at him with a smile. "You look so cute like that."
He blushed. "Well, it's a little hard to sleep when you're watching me."
"I'll try not to stare too much, cutie." He turned his head the other way. She let out a disappointed, "Aww." He'd done enough roughing it outside during his adventures with Sonic that sleep came easily enough. A noise woke him up. He looked around for the source but couldn't figure out what it had been. Seeing how Rouge wasn't alarmed by whatever it was, he figured it was just his canine instincts being an inconvenience. "Sleep well? You probably got at least two hours in. Can I borrow your tails for a turn?"
"Sure," he answered automatically, snaking them out and over to her as agreed before he could ponder how exactly it would work with their close proximity. She took them under her head right there, but unlike him, turned onto her side to sleep... and maybe tease him, since she chose to face him. He couldn't help returning the favor, watching her be in a state of complete peace. It was a face he hadn't seen yet.
Her eyes opened and she smiled slyly. "Now who's watching?"
"Nice try, but I totally saw that one coming," he retorted as the teasing thus had no effect.
"Go ahead, I'm used to it." I'm sure you are... Rolling his eyes, he turned to keep watch. Her eyes were already closed when he snuck a glance back. It wasn't much longer before she was asleep. Despite appearances, he was sure that she was no stranger to roughing it either. Now on duty without company, boredom quickly sunk in. He lazily put his chin on his arms to keep it propped up while keeping watch on the site below... Then snapped back upright when there was another noise. Rouge stirred from her slumber as well, thankfully too sleepy to catch if he had dozed off too. "What is it?"
"We've got some activity." A large group of soldiers were gathering around the giant tent. Something was loaded into a nearby idling truck. After a few more minutes, the truck began to move, quickly joined by four Humvees (or domestic knockoffs) that fell into a convoy with two in front and two behind the truck. "Looks like they're moving it." None of the other vehicles appeared to be going anywhere soon. Everyone else was probably staying behind to continue searching or handle cleanup; as far as he cared they could be planning to have an unsanctioned party. "Ready to do it?"
"Always." They took off and flew directly above the convoy, boldly landing on top of the truck, mere shadows in what was barely dawn. Then they laid flat and waited. The vehicles continued onward at the same pace. It seemed nobody had noticed them. Whether or not they could keep it that way was another matter.
The truck was a military flatbed with a canopy covering. He cut a peeking hole through the material with a GUN-issue combat knife- something he wouldn't normally carry outside of being on a jungle mission. Bingo: the satellite, or at least most of it, was inside. So was a person to keep watch. "One guy inside." He slowly ripped the opening bigger until they could slip through.
The man didn't notice anything until they dropped in. He immediately yelled upon seeing them but was cut off by a kick upside the head by Rouge. He stumbled backwards and fumbled for the rifle slung around him. She shot forward and dropkicked him right out the back canvas flap onto the hood and windshield of the following Humvee. The vehicle braked and sent the poor guy rolling back off to hit the road. Their presence would be known soon. "You steal the hard drive!" Tails said while pulling himself back through the hole in the roof.
"Where are YOU going?"
"To steal the truck!" Flipping over the cab, he swung in through the window, kicking the passenger over into the driver's lap. Unfortunately, he had only gone halfway through the window when he let go too early- his heavier upper half pulled him back out the window... His fingers caught the door handle. Putting the other hand on the windowsill, he pulled himself back up. The passenger was upright again and raising a rifle. "Whoa!" He ducked as a burst went over his head, several bullets nicking the door. He leapt off to grab a stake-pocket instead, firing up his rear appendages to make himself horizontal to the ground rushing by below.
Rouge's voice called out, "Tails!" from the other side of the canvas.
"I'm okay!" he reassured. The passenger door opened and the man leaned out, holding onto it while clumsily aiming the rifle... With one arm he grabbed the outstretched weapon and pulled the surprised man right out of the truck, who flew screaming onto the side of the road. "That wasn't me!" he announced for Rouge's benefit. Spinning his namesakes harder, he shot forward and into the cab. He sucker-punched the occupied driver, calmly reached over the dazed man to open the door, then shoved him out as well. Assuming duty at the wheel, he second-guessed his choice of roles, though he was pretty sure neither of them could simultaneously reach the gas pedal and see out the windshield. A more pressing concern right now was that one of the lead vehicles was blocking the road ahead of the cruising truck with the roof turret aiming right at them. He could only weakly utter, "Rouge?"
"Yes?"
He found his voice to yell, "DUCK!" as he did so. The machine gun thundered. Bullets shattered the windshield, tore up the seats, and punched through the cab and canvas. He heard the bat cry out in what was hopefully just shock. Putting his weight on the gas pedal, he steered by memory, not too concerned about being unable to see right now. The truck jolted hard as it smashed aside the Humvee, stopping the gunfire. He climbed back onto the seat and took a proper driver's position. Thinking fast, he picked up a loose rifle left by the previous driver and did his best to jam it onto the gas pedal, using his legs to keep it there. "Rouge, you done yet?"
"I was a little busy ducking!" she snapped back.
"Well, you're gonna have to start multitasking, because they'll probably shoot at us more!"
"This was a real great idea, Tails!"
"All of my ideas are great," he replied while trying to avoid looking down the barrel of the gun currently being held between his legs. One of the escorts was coming up along the driver's side, seemingly waiting for a clearer shot. Despite fears, perhaps they wanted the truck or its cargo as intact as possible. He cranked the wheel and rammed the vehicle right off the road and down an embankment where it rolled over. He pumped a fist in triumph. One down... three left. Outrunning them was unlikely, but they only needed to keep ahead until extracting the drive.
The chase continued; the pursuers too fast to shake but unable to safely overtake them on the narrow road. The stalemate continued until a sharp turn came up. He tried to move the rifle from the gas pedal to the brake but was only able to do the former. Going in too fast, the truck overshot the turn and careened into the tree line. Abandoning the rifle, he began frantically steering between the trees, the truck losing both mirrors and a fair amount of paint but somehow avoiding any direct hits. Playing all those racing games was really paying off. Their pursuers slowed down, not nearly as eager to barrel through the obstacle course. He just might actually be able to lose them... if he could keep from crashing.
The truck hit a giant puddle, sending a massive wave of water shooting up all around it. The size of the puddle greatly slowed the truck down... and made it bob? Oh crap, we're floating... Looking around, they were surrounded by water. A river, lake, or... judging from the smell, a swamp. The truck drifted further into the swamp and away from their landbound pursuers, but it wouldn't float much longer. "Rouge... I hope you're almost done with that."
"Yeah... Where are we?"
"In a swamp, so you really should hurry up." He climbed out of the cab and back through the canvas hole. The satellite's weight fortunately made the truck float in a more balanced fashion, but the rear was already starting to fill with water. Hopefully the drive would be unsalvageable if they couldn't get it; the priority wasn't getting it back so much as not letting anyone else get their hands on it.
"Well, it's a lot easier now that truck isn't moving around so much." It was almost a jinx; the truck was already starting to tilt from the heavier front end sinking first, but that was just basic physics at work rather than a spiteful deity. The floor and wall gradually changed duties. He hated just standing by, but another pair of hands would only get in each other's way. He climbed up to peek out the back flap. The shoreline was being flanked by soldiers and vehicles as reinforcements arrived. The water was up to her chest when she announced, "Got it! Now let's go!" Flying was the obvious option, but being in the water might bog their takeoff down enough to give the soldiers a decent target.
"Wait! Not that way!" He dropped down with an arm held above the rising waterline. "Take my hand!" She gave him a curious look. With no time to explain, he simply said, "Trust me!"
A moment passed before she said, "Sure, why not?" and grabbed his hand.
"Take a deep breath and don't let go!" They both drew a big gulp of air as the water reached their necks. He nodded at her; she nodded back. He ducked under the surface and through the roof opening with her following in tow. Once clear he fired up his tails to act as a propellor for a burst of speed. The bat tried to swim herself but was largely being pulled along. Moving above her, he switched which hand was holding hers and used that one to grab her other hand as well, like carrying someone in flight... except underwater. Now she really was just along for the ride as they shot through the murky water. Judging by the lack of activity, they were literally escaping beneath the notice of their hunters.
Her fingers eventually started to flail at his hands, not clawing but definitely agitated. They seemed to be trying to say something, like perhaps I'M RUNNING OUT OF AIR. He was nearing his limit too. Not knowing who had the stronger lungs, he made for the surface, figuring they had gotten far enough away by now. They broke the surface and gasped for air. A quick look and listen around suggested the immediate area was clear. They waded to shore and climbed out, wiping swamp goo off themselves. The bat removed her boots and turned them upside down to pour out the water as more continued to slowly drain from her skintight suit down her legs. "Well, THAT could have gone better," she said flatly.
"Yes, it certainly could have..." he concurred before insisting, "but it WAS a good plan."
"I suppose." Once satisfied with the dwindling dripping, she put her boots back on. "Can we fly now?"
"No argument here." It was unlikely a pair of small airborne creatures would be spotted in the early dawn and with luck the enemy would have assumed they went down with the truck. They did so, heading for where the Tornado had been parked upon their arrival. They traveled in silence with Tails leading. It was an uneventful but long flight.
They were somewhere past the halfway point of the trip when Rouge got close to ask, "Let's take a break, okay?"
It was a reasonable enough idea. "Okay."
She overtook him and signaled to follow. Having no idea if she would even hear him, he didn't ask and simply followed her double back slightly, touching down near a series of small cascading waterfalls. She sat down on the basin's shore, letting her feet dip into it. Once again removing her boots, this time she swished them around in the clean water. He suspected that the reason for the break wasn't for want of rest so much as cleanliness. This hunch was reinforced as she removed her gear bag and promptly fell into the water, coming back up with hands running through her head fur. She looked to him. "Come on in, the water's alright."
He faintly shook his head at her sense of priorities. "Don't you think we should wait until AFTER we're safely out of enemy territory?"
"How can you possibly stand being covered in that gunk? I CAN'T spend one more second like this."
"Trust me, I don't like it either, but we're on a critical mission here... We don't really have time..." His weak attempt to argue against the unconcerned bat died when he heard a zip. He could only stare in surprise as she removed her suit under just the safety of the obscuring water to do some more laundry as if he wasn't there.
"Well, I'm not spending several hours trapped in a small plane with a stinky fox either, so get in here." She lobbed the suit back on land while speaking like this was a totally normal circumstance for social interaction. Maybe it was for her, but he wasn't nearly as comfortable with the situation.
"Uh... like, now? At the same time? But you're..." He stopped himself there.
"What? Is there a problem? Can't you keep to yourself?"
"No! Of course not!" Wait, is that a double negative? "I mean... I won't look or anything like that!" A moment later he suggested, "But shouldn't we just take turns?"
"We don't have time for turns. We're on a critical mission here, remember?" NOW she's using time against me? He tried in vain to come up with another reason. "Tails..." Her voice began to turn snarly. "Get in the water right now or I will drag you in here and clean you myself."
He promptly surrendered. "Okay!" He took off his shoes and socks in record time and jumped in. "Alright, I'm in!"
She rolled her eyes. They both seemed to wait for the other to say something, but when neither did she turned away to resume washing. He watched her a little longer while starting to calm down. With the waterline, he wasn't really seeing any more of her than when she was wearing her personal suit... except for the blurred view through the water that didn't leave much to the imagination beyond wondering if she at least left ANY underwear on. He didn't think so but...
STOP LOOKING! He angled away from her, put some more distance between them, and simply focused on washing himself. Or thinking about what would happen if the enemy caught up to them at this particular moment. That would just be the perfect end to my life... At least he was confident that between their hearing and his sense of smell they would notice anybody approaching.
The thoughts distracted himself so well he even forgot about not looking in a certain direction until doing so. Rouge was now underneath the lowest waterfall to use it as a natural shower, standing on the rocks entirely out of the water... And definitively NOT wearing anything. Luckily, she had her back to him, though at an angle that still provided a tantalizing enough view to cause the MPA some debate. Did SHE also forget about her surroundings? Did she think that the falling water would conceal more than it did? Did she just not care?
Despite the stunning view of natural beauty, he managed to turn away. A second later he looked back... to see if she had noticed the stray gaze. Nope- she was still engrossed in her shower. Facing forward, he steeled himself to keep that way. Don't think about it... Just concentrate on cleaning yourself... Committing himself to that task, he managed to not look when there was a splash. His heart rate increased as he sensed her wading towards him. "The waterfall's nice. You can use it if you want. I'm done with it." Turning to her, he braced for a teasing that didn't come. She had a neutral expression on her face that betrayed nothing. He doubted she would let it slide without comment if she knew. His mouth opened to respond but no words came out as he found himself captivated by her face. The expected sly grin appeared late. "What is it? Is there something on my face?"
Realizing how it looked, he grew a deeper blush. "Rouge... your makeup..."
Her face immediately turned serious. "What about it? Did it leave a mess?" she asked with concern, like askew makeup was the state she most feared being seen in.
"No," he replied, "it's all been washed off."
"And?" Something about her tone suggested he should tread carefully.
Uh oh... "You just look totally different without it." Her expression seemed to shift slightly further. "I don't mean that in a bad way," he said in an attempt to downplay how much difference her makeup made.
Her face remained skeptical. "What way DID you mean that in?"
"Just that you look... much younger without it."
"How so? I'm already young. You saying I look more like a little girl?"
"Well... uh... kinda... but... no..." he stumbled in answer, not personally fond of being seen as a kid by others either. "I mean... you still look a lot like you did... back then."
"When we first met?" She was definitely NOT thrilled to hear that. "I do?"
"Yeah..." he weakly agreed upon seeing his attempts at reassurance all backfiring. What was a good memory to him was probably not as happy to her because it also carried the baggage of her past. "But just your face. I didn't mean that you..."
When he couldn't finish the thought, she ventured, "Still look like a street kid?"
He grimaced. "That's a blunt way of putting it..." There was no arguing she was at a disadvantage back then; she had no makeup; wasn't exactly the cleanest; and wore scrappy clothes. Not to mention the fresh scrapes she sported from a nasty fall on their first meeting. "Don't be so harsh on yourself... You weren't ugly... You just weren't yet able to..."
She seized another opening. "Be pretty?" Despite the confidence she had gained since then, she was still clearly very sensitive on this subject.
"Rouge... Don't say that. You're pretty even without makeup."
"Really? But do YOU like me better without makeup, Tails?" she challenged.
"I... don't know..." he answered out of honesty before kicking himself. For once, he wouldn't mind admitting that he was still too young to truly appreciate a girl's looks. As much as he liked seeing the face of the bat from years long past again, it was probably just nostalgia. Trying to salvage his response, he voiced his entire stream of consciousness. "I mean, sure, the makeup makes you look prettier... That's exactly what it's meant for... But it's not the makeup itself that makes you pretty... It's knowing how to use it just right to enhance your beauty... You always want to look your absolute best... There's nothing wrong with that... I think it's great you take pride in it... I think it just suits you... If it makes you happy, then..." His brain fizzled out. "...I'm happy you're happy..."
Rouge's features softened as she listened, her mouth falling open slightly as if in awe. "Tails... You have such a sweet way of saying things." She seemed dubious but willing to believe his words weren't just an empty cheer up.
"It's the truth. I like seeing you in makeup, but you're still attractive even without it, just in a different way. Wearing makeup makes you look more beautiful, but without it you actually look more..." He stopped himself short as his brain caught up to his mouth.
"More what?" she asked curiously. He started to turn deep red, if he wasn't already. She edged a little closer to tease. "Tails, don't just puff up a girl, then leave her hanging like that."
Trapped now, he outright squirmed as he squeaked, "Uh... cute?"
"C-cute!?" she stammered in surprise.
"Yeah..." He couldn't even make eye contact now. He felt like he might burst into flames if it wasn't for the water.
"You think I look CUTE?" She sounded almost offended.
"Yeah." A smile crept in as he found her reaction cute too; the sultry femme fatale had turned into a pouting teenager. It was familiar somehow.
"NO," she said firmly, though with a smile as her usual spirit began to return. "You're cute. I'm beautiful."
"It's not an insult." But it's so much more fun not being on the receiving end...
"Nonono... Tails, you are adorable. You can't call others cute."
"Why not?" He asked in legitimate confusion at the idea before joking, "Cute can't recognize cute? That makes me uniquely qualified to be an authority."
Cracking up now, she could barely choke out another, "No!"
"Trust me, it's not that bad once you learn to accept it."
"Shut. Up. You're a cute boy and I'm a beautiful woman. Got that?"
"You're beautiful AND cute. You're cutiful."
"NO!" One of her hands shot out of the water and grabbed his snout. "I'm NOT cute! You understand me?"
His answer was, "Mfph-mfph."
"Was that an uh-HUH or an uh-UH?"
He repeated, "Mfph-mfph," and shook his head as well.
"No?" She put her free hand behind one of his ears and scratched. "How about now?"
He stood firm despite the pleasing sensation. "Mfph-mfph!"
The scratching intensified, as did the feeling of bliss. "You still think I'm cute?" Was she trying to torture or bribe him into changing his answer? Either way, he couldn't keep his dignity much longer. His answer this time was to swat his tails to splash her face with water and wrench his muzzle free with his own hands. She let out an insulted cry. "Hey! Get back here, Foxboy!" She lunged forward to grab both of his ears, pulling him towards her while scratching aggressively. The euphoria of ear scratching was so overwhelming that he almost didn't notice a tickling sensation amongst his chest fur.
It took him a moment to gain enough sense to loudly gasp, "ROUGE!" Startled by the outburst, she paused... and suddenly remembered that they weren't just a pair of heads bobbing on the water's surface. She let out a horrified gasp of her own, pushed themselves apart, and covered herself while blushing furiously. It was a safe bet that the public waterfall show wasn't intentional. After a tense awkward moment, he raised his hands above the water. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..." He ran out of words, having no idea what to apologize for.
"No, Tails... You didn't do anything," she said softly. "That was entirely my bad."
There was another awkward moment. "I'm... gonna get out now... I'll be waiting past the trees until you're done..." He climbed out of the water, picked up his shoes, and not-quite-ran away. Once well out of direct line of sight, he leaned against a tree, dropped his shoes, and waited for his body to return to normal operation. Okay... Distract yourself... Just concentrate on drying off... He turned around, still leaning against the tree, and violently shook his entire body, sending water flying in every direction. He then grabbed his thick bushy tails, which still retained a fair amount of water. Holding them together out in front, he wringed them with both hands, squeezing the water all the way down and off the collective tip... while trying NOT to think of Rouge and what had just happened. It wasn't the most successful of endeavors. He had just about finished when footsteps approached. "Rouge?"
She didn't answer before walking into view, now fully dressed. They both stood silently for an unknown amount of time. "Uh, Tails? That... was a little... weird." That was one word for it.
"Yeah," he agreed.
"Let's NOT tell anyone else about this, okay?"
Why would I want to? "Oh, don't worry, I'm not putting any of this in my report," he said dryly.
"I mean ANYONE. Not even Sonic."
"ESPECIALLY not Sonic! I'd never hear the end of it. And Amy might kill you if she found out."
"Yeah, probably."
"Let's both just forget this ever happened, okay?"
"Well... we don't have to go THAT far." He gave her a confused look. She gave him a wink and walked past. He blinked. What?
DVD Commentary: FUN CHAPTER SUDDENLY GOT SERIOUS NEAR THE END.
Maybe a little too soon in their relationship? The waterfall scene was an idea all its own but there was the obvious question of why they'd be washing up in the middle of nature, so I came up with the first half of the chapter, which could double as his debut as an unofficial GUN agent. As much fun as the ambiguous lines are, Rouge is just a little TOO comfortable around Tails (and untrained in modesty) in case you missed my clues. In fact, I actually scrapped some Rouge flirts because I remembered she's currently supposed to be trying NOT to flirt with someone at least one school campus below her, but I needed a good line to go out on (and the operative word is TRYING.)
And yes, if you were wondering, one part is totally an adult visual gag. I'll take this moment to reiterate that this WILL stay PG-13, but this is a perfect example of that more risqué humor. After all, delving into my darker spin on Rouge's nature entails certain things I deliberately tiptoed around in the otherwise innocent Angels- ironically, going for more family-friendly manipulative Rouge over promiscuous Rouge actually led to heavier subject matter. I wrote Angels straddling the line of MAYBE being approvable for adaptation into the franchise media, but this one is already too unconventional, so I'm just gonna have fun with it. My Tails and Rouge duo is part furry, part fluffy, and part fleshy. Keeps readers on their toes.
I was wondering when exactly to get the whole Agent Foxboy and Batgirl thing going. I know it happens before Team Dark mixes things up. I got plenty of ideas but not a concrete order, nor am I sure if some ideas can stand by themselves, or should be spliced together, or even if they CAN be combined, not to mention deciding who will have the POV. Future chapters may start taking longer because I'm not sure what they're gonna be about whereas the first three were already lined up. I may need to actually put all my ideas down on some scratch paper to plan chapters.
I totally just had to one-up the movie in naming fictional countries. I actually had this as a possible mission for Angels, hence some of the more 'epic' elements like being deployed and extracted via helicopter. But I felt it didn't play as well with the key details of my story. I may salvage it as an AU story because I did have some fun ideas playing with the more contentious Tails/Rouge dynamic that I just don't see working as a 'friendly competitive training exercise' no matter how much I want it to.
I just realized I never actually thought about if Rouge put her makeup back on at the end. Being a dude, I don't even know when you should or shouldn't apply it. Y'all can choose that one, readers. I also never even mentioned their gloves as they're essentially part of the characters' bodies to me.
Stake-pocket: what the supports for the canvas covering on trucks are called, apparently. I had to look it up myself.
I liked the spelling of cuteautiful but proper English would dictate it has additional syllables.