-Chapter 236-
Family, Friends, and Coworkers
Station Square
A week after the Crystal Cave mission, Team Dark was outside the school with Team Thorndyke and Sam, waiting with varying levels of anticipation.
"Come on, come on, what's taking her?" Shadow pondered, pacing back and forth.
"Shadow, will you calm down?" Rouge insisted.
"Hope's been in there for almost three hours!" Shadow pointed out. "The exam shouldn't be taking that long!"
"Well, all that pacing isn't gonna make her come out any faster."
Sam attempted to bring out a joke book, only for a gun-cock sound to reach his ears.
"Utter one word from that book and be annihilated," Omega warned.
"Seriously Sam, why did you even bring that thing?" Kat asked. "Those are the worst jokes in existence."
"Never know when you might need a good laugh, and then who's prepared?" Sam shot back.
"No one would laugh. Ever." Kat insisted, pulling out a thermos and pouring herself a cup of its contents. Sam sniffed at that.
"Wait… is that coffee?"
"Yeah…" Kat nodded.
""I thought you weren't allowed to have caffeine?"
"Don't tell Sally."
"Both of you, shush!" Shadow hissed, pointing ahead, drawing everyone's attention. Hope exited the school, looking grim.
"Uh-oh…" Rouge said. "That doesn't look promising."
Hope eventually reached them.
"Hope, are you okay?" Shadow asked.
"Was your mission successful?" Omega added.
"Did you pass the test?" Chris questioned.
Hope took a breath. "No guys...I didn't pass the test..."
Everyone reeled in shock, before Hope broke out in a grin.
"I freaking aced it!" She displayed her test paper, showing a perfect score. They all cheered, hugging her, just as Hope saw Kat's thermos.
"Are you drinking coffee?" she asked.
Kat shrugged. "What Sally doesn't know won't hurt me."
"The last time you drank coffee-"
"Hey!" Kat cut off, wavering slightly. "I fixed the rec room. And I literally need it to... to... aww..."
She dropped, Keith catching her.
"Okaaaay, someone should probably get her home." Sam said.
"I got her," Keith assured. "Congrats on the A, Hope. Seriously."
Hope nodded. "Thanks Keith, and...I'm sorry for freaking everyone this past few weeks and..."
"Hey," Keith cut in. "You got your head on straight in the end. Just make sure to take care of yourself before trying to save the world."
"That's the plan." Hope assured. "Anyway, we should probably get going. The others are expecting us!"
"Right," Shadow nodded.
They piled into Shadow's car before taking off.
Westopolis
In their home, Clove and Cassia were in the living room watching an episode of Shining Tears.
"Uugh!" Cassia threw up her hands. "Of course they brought Lazarus back from the dead! Seriously, one of the few awesome heroic sacrifices in the series and they ruined it! Now we gotta deal with that damn love triangle with him, Xion, and Ryuna again!" She sighed. "Good Gaia, I miss this show's good seasons."
"I'll admit, it does feel like a cop-out." Clove remarked.
"Doesn't help that the cast is just a rip off of the guys from Shining Soul." Cassia remarked. "I mean, come on! Human swordsman, elf archer, a mage, a priestess, a ninja, a dragon-guy in heavy armor, and a karate wolfman! Seriously... when did TV become such Cucky crap?"
"It's not that bad." Clove insisted.
"You're right, it's worse! Seriously, this show used to be GOOD!"
Clove shrugged. "Well, hopefully the next season will be better."
"It better be." Cass said as she grabbed a handful of popcorn. "I swear if NIDS doesn't kill me, this will."
Clove hesitated at that. Cassia then gently nudged her. "Hey, it was a joke."
"Right, right." Clove took a breath. "Still... you know."
Cassia smiled, then leaned on her sister. "Yeah, I know."
Clove smiled, pulling Cass into a one-armed hug. At that moment, the doorbell rang.
"That's probably them!" Clove perked.
"Crap!" Cassia cursed. "I completely forgot!"
She hopped over the couch as she raced for the door.
"Cass!" Clove shouted after her. "No running in the house!"
Cass skidded to a stop in front of the door, opening it to reveal Team Dark.
"Hope!" Cass pulled her into a tight hug. "So, you ace the test?"
"With flying colors," Hope confirmed.
Cass grinned. "Woohoo! Called it! You hear that Clove!?"
"I heard you, I heard you," Clove said, approaching. "I'll get you the money after our next job."
"Thank you for the invitation," Shadow said politely.
"It's the least we could do after…" The elder pronghorn winced, "well, you know."
Hope waved a hand. "Water under the Bridge Zone."
Clove nodded before turning back to the house. "Axel! Our guests are here!"
"I'm comin'!" Axel entered at that. "Good to see you guys. C'mon in."
Everyone entered. Rouge looked around.
"Hmmm...not too bad," she mused. "This is a nice place you three got."
"If you're attempting to case us, Rouge, you're out of luck," Clove informed her. "I don't wear jewelry."
"Oooh!" Cass let out. "Burn!"
Rouge scoffed as if offended.
"Personally, I am disappointed," Omega remarked. "There isn't a single gun emplacement on this entire house."
"Don't need 'em when you've got these guns," Axel boasted, flexing his arms for emphasis.
"Incorrect. Those are arms." Omega revealed his weapons. "These are guns."
Clove and Cassia yelped at that.
"Calm down," Omega insisted. "My weapons systems are offline."
"Omega!" Hope placed a hand on his arm. "Sometimes you can be a little too literal, y'know? Just... put the guns away, please."
Omega did so, lowering his arms.
"What say we get started, shall we?" Shadow suggested.
Hope nodded. "Good idea."
"In that case…" Cassia took off to the living room. The others followed to see her rummaging through a bookcase.
"Let's see...Vectorman? No. Phantasy Star? No. Shining Force Season 1? Hmm…Maybe. Alex Kidd?" She stopped to gawk at the cartoon collection she'd picked up. "How'd that get there? Ahhh!" She polled out a Blu-Ray box depicting a savage looking wolfman standing in an Ancient Spagonian ruin, a horde of monsters primed to attack him from behind. "Here it is! The original Altered Beast, Director's Cut!"
"No way!" Hope exclaimed. "That's almost impossible to get!"
"We know," Clove said. "We literally stumbled on it at the store."
"Well, don't just stand there! Let's watch it!" Cassia popped it in before sitting down, Hope and Clove joining her.
"Just like old times," Axel remarked.
They sat down around the table. Rouge had her arms crossed in thought.
"Something wrong, Rouge?" Axel asked.
"Something that's been bugging me about the mission," Rouge explained. "The skunk brothers… they knew about Maria."
"The… details of the ARK Incident were released to the public after Tower declassified it." Shadow pointed out.
"Yeah, even I know about it," Axel remarked. "Sorry for your loss, by the way."
"Thank you."
"But they knew how to use it against you."
"Indeed," Omega remarked. "While Maria Kintobor's name is indeed listed among the fallen in the articles, her relationship to you was not."
Shadow perked, realizing they were right. "So then how did they…?" His eyes widened in shock. "Hoodsey!"
"That's the guy they said gave them those Power Gems, right?" Axel asked.
"He's likely the one who hired them too," Rouge added.
Shadow nodded. "Somehow, he knew about me and Maria. But how?"
"Shadow!" Hope called. "C'mon! The movie's about to start!"
"Coming!" Shadow replied before turning back to them. "We can worry about that later."
Crystal Cave
Meanwhile, back in Crystal Cave, Jewel and her excavation crew had resumed their work. Jewel was in the middle of a phone call.
"And then, they just slammed into them cross-slash style and used their own motto," she concluded.
"You got to go on this big adventure with Team Dark and didn't tell me?" came the voice on the other end. "I am super jealous, Jewel! Seriously, next time this kinda thing happens, you call me first! Okay?"
"Of course, Tangle," Jewel assured. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Miss Jewel!"
"Oh, hang on, I gotta go, work stuff."
"Aw man... But we're still on for tomorrow though, right?"
"Of course!"
"Cool! I'll see you then. Later, Jewel."
"Bye, Tangle. Tell your father I said hello."
The call ended, and Jewel flitted over to her workers.
"You gotta see this! I think we found something big!"
Jewel froze. "Oh dear...please tell me it's not another Power Gem."
"I don't think so. Just check it out."
Jewel went to look. When she saw it, her jaw dropped, eyes going wide at the sight of a massive crystal.
"Good Lord… It's absolutely gorgeous!" she exclaimed. "Quick, call the others right away! I want this excavated and ready for display by the end of the week!"
"Yes, ma'am!" her workers declared.
Area 99
Meanwhile, in the detainment wing, Agent Stone carried a pair of lattes as he walked down the hall, eventually running into Agent Vellum standing outside the interrogation room.
"Morning, Shamus!" he greeted cheerily.
"Bob…" Vellum sighed wearily.
"How are you doing?" Stone asked as he handed Vellum one of his drinks.
"Pretty good, all things considered." Vellum said before taking a sip, giving a barely noticeable smile as the piping hot coffee met his taste buds.
"How's Rory doing?"
"He's..." They were cut off by a loud crash from the interrogation room, making them wince.
"He's…enjoying his work." Vellum snarled.
"Riiiiiiight…" Stone mused awkwardly.
They opened the door, finding a furious Shears screaming at Rough and Tumble, the two bearing several bruises.
"Alright, ya damn stink brains!" he roared. "I'm gettin' REAL sick and tired of playing 50 Questions with you two! Now, are you gonna tell me where ya got those fancy moon rocks or am I gonna have to keep beating you!?"
"Haw! You call this a beating!?" Tumble scoffed.
"Our Aunt Gurdy hits harder than you!" Rough added. "Hell, I've had more bruises from my baby cousin! You ain't got nothin', ya scrawny, ginger-!" He was suddenly grabbed in a very vulnerable spot. "Yipe!"
"Finish that sentence, shorty! See what happens!" he shouted. "I just had to spend a WEEK sitting around a cave in the middle of nowhere, got dropped from the sky, got hit by a jeep, and got put off field duty until my broken rib is healed! As such, I'm a little bit cooped up!"
"Shears!" Vellum shouted, getting his attention.
"Oh hey Shay, what's up?" he greeted casually. "I was just about to get these two beastmen to sing."
"BEASTMEN?! (1)" Rough and Tumble let out, offended.
Shears just slammed their heads together. "Work in progress."
Vellum gave him a disapproving look from behind his sunglasses. "Rory, what have I told you about getting physical with the prisoners?"
"Never start with the head?"
"And?"
"Don't break anything?"
"And?"
"No outside implements?"
"And?"
Shears paused to think for a moment.
"Keep their clothes on?" Shears asked innocently, earning him disturbed looks from Rough and Tumble.
"Rory!" Vellum snapped.
"Alright, alright, I'll dial it down." Shears turned back to Rough and Tumble. "Look, I'm losing my patience. I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this, but either tell us where you got those magic rocks... or I take you to the med bay and give you both matching tails…front and back."
Shears grinned wickedly as he made scissor motions with his fingers for emphasis. Rough and Tumble let out girlish yelps as they covered their groins and Vellum facepalmed.
"That's your idea of dialing it down?" Stone deadpanned.
"Oh hey Bob, when did you get here?" Shears remarked. "Ooh, coffee!"
He swiped Stone's other latte.
"Look Rory," Vellum began, "we're trying to get information out of these two, not perform a f&$ ing hate crime."
"These two have rap sheets a mile long," Shears shot back. "They'll be lucky to see daylight again by the time they're all white."
He took a swig of his latte, only to spit it out.
"Ugh! That is NASTY!" he declared before casually tossing it over his shoulder…
"YEOWCH!" …and right on Rough's head.
"Ugh, be right back, I gotta take a piss." Shears said, as he left; Stone scowled at him the entire time. Vellum sighed.
"It's times like this I find I need to ask myself: just how many beers did Tower have before he accepted that loon's resume?" He turned to the skunks. "Now then… My partner's going to be gone for a while, I suggest you use this time to tell us everything you know before he gets back."
Rough and Tumble looked at each other nervously.
–X-
A few minutes later, Vellum and Stone were walking down the hall.
"Well, that got us a whole lot of nowhere," Vellum sighed.
"Unfortunately," Stone agreed. "At least Rory had fun."
"He has a twisted definition of fun, Bob," Vellum griped. "It's a miracle he hasn't been court-martialed."
That was when Shears stepped out of the men's room.
"Hoo!" he sighed. "Okay, I'm good. What'd I miss?"
"The brothers received the gems from a guy they identified as 'Hoodsey'," Vellum replied. "Hoodsey was also the one who hired them in the first place."
"In other words, nothing we already don't know," Stone added.
"Damn…" Shears let out before shrugging. "Ah well, I had my fun."
"You need to dial your so-called 'fun' back," Vellum warned.
"Seriously Rory, does it cause you physical pain to not be a jackass?" Stone questioned.
"Yes, actually," Shears replied bluntly as they arrived at the entrance to the GUN weapons vault, where Tower and Topaz were waiting. Stone and Vellum saluted as they entered, while Shears was far more casual.
"What up, Boss man?" he greeted.
"That's Commander to you, Agent Shears," Tower said sternly. "I could hear your 'talk' with the skunks all the way from my office. You've exceeded your quota for the next three days."
Shears winced. "Right… sorry, sir."
"Get anything?" Topaz asked.
"Nothing new," Stone replied. "Rough and Tumble were hired by a man to steal the Warp Topaz from Crystal Cave. He also provided the Power Gem weaponry. They never saw his face, and don't know his real name."
"I see." Tower mused.
"There is one thing though," Vellum piped up. "Whoever their benefactor is, he had detailed knowledge of the Topaz and its properties. He even gave them highly detailed notes."
"Were the notes on their persons?" Topaz asked.
"Negative," Stone replied. "All they had were the clothes on their backs and a half-eaten bag of fried okra."
"Explains why they smell so bad," Shears deadpanned.
"Anyway, what say we pop this rock in the vault so we can close the book on this mission?" Vellum asked.
Tower nodded. "Agreed."
Tower walked over to the GUN vault in the room and punched in a code on the keypad, causing a scanner to come out.
"Awaiting retinal scan."
He leaned over, allowing the machine to scan his eyes.
"Recognized: Commander Tower."
The vault door popped open. "Agents…"
The agents nodded and took the Chaos Containment Unit containing the gem into the vault. As the group walked through, they took a look at all the weapons in the vault. Firearms, powered armor…there was even an M4 Sherman tank.
Shears whistled. "Damn, this place is awesome."
"Shears, you've been here about seven times before," Vellum pointed out.
"Nine," Shears clarified. "And it never stops looking awesome."
They reached an open space, reserved for the Warp Topaz. Vellum popped the top of the unit before reaching in to grab the gem... only to grab empty air.
"What the…" he let out before looking inside.
"Shay, where's the gem?" Shears asked.
"It's not here!"
"What?!" Stone exclaimed.
"What do you mean it's 'not here'?" Tower asked.
"Exactly what I said, sir! Look!"
Tower and Topaz headed over to the container and sure enough, the Warp Topaz was gone.
"What the hell?!" Topaz exclaimed.
"Th-That's impossible!" Stone insisted. "I-I was there when the guys in R&D refined and cut it! I saw them put it in the box!"
"And nobody opened it afterwards?" Tower questioned.
"Not that I know of, sir."
"Damn it…" Tower activated his com. "This is Tower, we have a Code Black! I repeat, Code Black!" He turned to the agents. "I've placed the entire base on lockdown. Spread out and find that gem!"
"Sir!" the trio declared before scattering.
"Sir, should we call Agent Shadow and Team Dark?" Topaz asked.
"Negative, Topaz," Tower replied. "They're still recovering from trying to retrieve the thing."
"Understood. I'll get to searching." Topaz saluted before hurrying off.
"Dammit…" Tower cursed. "How the hell did this bastard manage to get by our defenses?"
Location Unknown
Meanwhile, in a mysterious lab, a Mobian owl and eagle were working and waiting.
The eagle was tall for a Mobian, being nearly five feet, not counting his prominent head crest. He was also very well-muscled, having thick, powerful arms and well-toned abs and pectorals beneath his fiery, orange feathers; features only enhanced by him clad in only a pair of black, denim shorts, a pair of sandals, and a pendant with a thick golden chain and an emblem of the sun around his neck (which he also had tattooed on his right arm). His hands and feet were charcoal gray and scaly, his fingers and toes ending in long, sharp, jet black talons. His black, hooked beak and deep, blue eyes affixed in an impatient scowl.
"The hell is takin' him so long?" the eagle groused.
"Patience, Summer." the owl chided as she typed away at a computer. "This isn't an ordinary gemstone we're dealing with."
She was about the same age as Summer, but physically, was his polar opposite. While the eagle was tall and well-muscled, she was short and somewhat chubby; though part of that may have been her from her thick, floofy, white and icy blue feathers. Like her companion, her hands and feet were also gray and ended with black talons; albeit her's leaned more toward silver and weren't as long, respectively. Her clothing consisted of a white lab coat, black shoes, and a tie-dye sundress of icy blue, deep blue, and indigo, with streaks of silver glitter scattered about. Her deep orange eyes were framed by a pair of glasses, and she wore a pendant with a silver chain and an emblem of a crescent moon wrapping around a snowflake.
"This was supposed to be a three day mission, Winter." Summer griped, gripping his arm. "It's been over a week now!"
"Well, griping about it isn't going to help things." Winter reached for a glass of lemonade she'd poured herself, only to scowl. "Oh poo, it's warm."
Winter focused, causing her eyes to glow and the liquid in her glass to freeze, shattering the container and leaving her with a frozen cylinder of juice.
"Eep!" the owl squealed as she dropped it, causing it to fall to the floor. She grimaced at the shards of broken glass and the slush of her drink.
"Heh! Looks like you need more practice." Summer said with a chuckle.
"So it would seem…" Winter turned to her companion, giving him a coy grin. "If only I had something to cool down." She loosened the left side of her coat, revealing a tattoo identical to the emblem on her pendant. Summer grinned at that.
"I think I can help with that." the eagle said as he walked over to his companion, his own eyes glowing as the air around him rippled with heat. "I'm starting to get a little rusty myself."
Winter grinned at her companion as she slid off her lab coat and walked over to him. Once she was close enough, the eagle scooped her up, causing her to let out a yelp.
"Summer!" Winter shouted, startled, but not in protest.
"Come on, you know you like it when I do that." the eagle said with a grin, holding her up so they were at eye level.
"I know." Winter reached up and stroked Summer's head, their beaks drawing closer and closer…
When a portal opened up, startling them both. From the portal emerged a lone figure in a hood.
"Gah! That was unpleasant." Hoodsey exclaimed in annoyance. The mystery man had traded in his street clothes for a long hood and cloak. He took a moment to adjust his clothing and dust himself off, making sure he was at least somewhat presentable.
"Sorry I'm late you two," Hoodsey explained. "I-"
Before he could finish, he saw Summer and Winter embracing.
"What do you two think you're doing?" Hoodsey asked, an aura of menace in his voice.
The eagle and owl looked at each other awkwardly before returning their attention to Hoodsey.
"Ummmmm….kissing?" Summer replied innocently.
"In my lab!?" Hoodsey shouted.
"We were getting a little… pent-up waiting for you, sir," Winter hastily explained.
"Well, I'm back," Hoodsey replied. "So put your coat back on and put it back in your pants!"
"Yessir!" Winter and Summer replied, and respectively obeyed.
"Crazy lovebirds." Hoodsey muttered as he facepalmed.
"So Doc, you have a good time slumming?" Summer asked.
"Hardly," Hoodsey replied as he walked over to his desk. "Those idiot skunks failed to retrieve the gem, so I had to go all the way to Area 99 and fetch it myself."
"Shoulda sent us from the get-go." the eagle replied, his talons suddenly glowing red hot. "I'd have given Mr. Edgehog and his Broody Brigade the ol' hot knife treatment and been back before noon!"
"No Summer, I can't," Hoodsey explained. "Your modifications are still incomplete, and require further testing besides."
"Didn't stop you from having Winter use hers to rush out those Power Gloves."
"Summer, I told you, I'm fine," Winter insisted. "I just…"
Suddenly, Winter began to sway a bit before collapsing.
"Winter!" Summer rushed to her side and caught her. "Are you okay?"
"Yes… just, a little light-headed." The owl took a breath. "I think my body is still adapting to my powers."
"Don't worry, we'll get you fixed up." Summer assured. He turned to glare at Hoodsey. "Right?"
"Y-Yes, of course!" Hoodsey stammered. Summer nodded in grim approval.
"I take it you were able to acquire the gem?" Winter asked.
Hoodsey smirked beneath his hood. "Of course."
He opened the box, revealing the now refined Warp Topaz. "Isn't it beautiful?"
"My word...a perfect golden ratio," Winter said in awe.
Summer shrugged. "It's just a rock, nothin' special."
"This 'rock' has the power to twist space like taffy, you harpy!" Hoodsey snapped.
"Oi! Watch it, duck-rat!"
"Summer!" Winter chastised, causing the eagle to wince.
"So, what happens now, Jareth?" Summer asked.
"Now," the newly renamed Jareth said as he started walking off toward a door marked bathroom, "I take a very long, thorough shower with extra soap. I just blew 100 grand and spent a week in the wilderness." He clenched his fists. "Not to mention I lost two gems from my collection thanks to those miserable, braindead mustelids!"
"Still say you shoulda sent us." Summer added.
"Summer, hush!" Winter scolded. She then turned to Hoodsey, giving him a polite bow. "Very well, Dr. Starline. We'll get this prepped for testing in the meantime."
"See to it that you do."
Jareth entered the bathroom, running a bath as he removed his hood and cloak, revealing a Mobian platypus with white fur that covered most of his body. His beak was black-colored and narrow with nostrils on the front, and he possessed red eyes, black eyelids, and a thick tail. He also had three thick hair turfs that were combed over the right side of his head, the frontmost turf possessing a gray highlight. Beneath his cloak, he wore a purple and red-violet satin tuxedo jacket and matching pants with golden cufflinks, a red-violet t-shirt underneath, orange pince-nez glasses, and brown boots with golden buckles, red-violet soles, medium-high heels, golden, curved metal spurs on his boots and upward-turned pointy toes and light red-violet socks underneath. He sighed, rubbing his forehead in annoyance as he began undressing.
"The things I do for science."
Author's Note:
(1): The term humans used for Mobians prior to the end of the Great War. Now their equivalent of the N-word.
Yep, that's right! Hoodsey was Dr. Starline the whole time! His first name, Jareth, was taken from one of his inspirations, Jareth the Goblin King from Labyrinth. Winter and Summer are WindstarOsprey's OCs, used with his permission.
Next chapter will be a breather, everyone settling in and relaxing.
Voice cast for this chapter:
* Tangle - Brittany Lauda (Ichigo from Darling in the Franxx, Foo Fighters from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, Rina Tachibana from Rio: Rainbow Gate)
* Winter - Hynden Walch (Starfire from Teen Titans, Princess Bubblegum from Adventure Time, Yutaka Kobayakawa from Lucky Star)
* Summer - Michael Rosenbaum (Flash in Justice League & Justice League Unlimited, Lex Luthor in Smallville, Johnny Charisma in Batman: Arkham Knight)
Please R&R. Until next time!