Sonic Series Fan Fiction ❯ Predator and Prey ❯ Reality Check ( Chapter 11 )

Chapter 11: Reality Check

 

Station Square 5a.m.

 

“Um sir I think you should look at this,” a nervous man said to his superior as he stared at the computer screen before him. A man in a heavily decorated military uniform approached him and looked over his shoulder.

 

“What the?” he exclaimed as he gawked at the screen as the entire program disintegrated from the monitor. A funky looking sheet with pointy ears and a long tail ran across yelling boo. It ran forward and the screen turned black, as it seemed to engulf it with its mouth.

 

“You shouldn't mess with ghosts,” the monitor read repeatedly in bloody letters.

 

“Quick, shut the system down,” the man yelled to every person in the room.

“It's too late sir,” the man in front of him said. “The entire system has been overridden. Look.” He pointed up to the huge wall of TV screens at the head of the room. The ghost appeared on every one then the images fused together so that one huge ghost showed up on the screen followed by the red letters. This happened to every other computer screen in the room and across the entire facility.

 

Back at the workshop where the eight teens sat boredly going over data reports the ghost attacked.

 

“Hey!” Andy yelled smacking the monitor. “What the hells going on?”

 

“Dude, we're being hacked!” shouted Kevin as he hurried to shut down his computer manually.

 

“No, wait,” Jamie said as she began to type away at the keyboard facing her. “Maybe I can stop him from getting in any deeper.”

 

“No good,” Jordan said with a grin on his fox face as he too began to tap at the keys before him.

 

“Then trace it!” she screamed at him as the words began to multiply faster and grow smaller.

 

“Can't, the trails being blocked off by something.” He turned away and pulled out a small device from one of the pockets of his cargo pants. He drew out a wire from it and hooked it up to the computer rerouting the keyboard functions to it. “This guy knows what he's doing.” He began to type furiously as a green screen appeared. “I'm in!”

 

“Bout time!” Mark said as the group gathered around him.

“I can't get a lock on him!” The screen showed what looked to be a cyber world that changed as if he were moving through it. “Where is he going?”

 

“Dude, what the fuck is that?!” Jake cried as he pointed to the ghost on the screen.

 

“It's him! Come on! We need to move faster.” The ghost stuck its tongue out at him and split into three new ones. “Shit!”

 

“Jordan, where are you?” Tommy asked looking about the room as the other computer screens showed the same image as the one facing Jordan.

 

“I'm,” he glanced at the data he passed, “in the reconnaissance data bank! What does he want in here?” The entire facility shut down causing every room to turn pitch black. “FUCK!” he growled slamming his fist on the desk the monitor sat on.

 

 

“Hey guys,” a girl's voice rang into the receiver of a cell phone. “I need you to pick up some things…No, in the desert…Of course…Yes, it's important…Uh huh, see ya there.” The phone clicked.

 

 

“Hey, Kylee!” Jaxon called as he and Damien entered the house. He walked through the living room and towards the stairs. “Kylee!”

 

“Hey man, isn't this like, breaking the law?” Damien asked as they headed up the stairs to Kylee's room.

 

“Not if you have a key.” He grinned and knocked on the door that read “Danger Zone!” “Hello…Ky, are you in there?” He opened the door and flipped the switch.

 

“Hey Ky, you wake?” Damien asked as he slipped over to the burgundy canopy bed. There wasn't a soul in the bed. “Where is she?”

 

“Probably out shopping or somethin,” Jaxon said shrugging. “Let's ask Shady if he knows where she went.” They marched up the second set of stairs and the door that served as the entrance to Shadow's room. Jaxon knocked a few times then waited.

 

There was movement before the door cracked open. Shadow stood in a pair of jeans that were zipped half way and a pissed look on his face. “I'm fuckin tired so this better be good,” he said all in Spanish, which amazed the echidna and otter.

 

“Whoa,” Jaxon whistled. “Since when can you speak the lingo?”

 

“What do you want?” he growled glaring at him.

 

“Cranky,” the gray echidna mumbled. “We need to find Kylee. Do you know where she is?” Shadow pushed the door wider and stepped back. Damien and Jaxon looked at each other shrugging and looked inside. They were half surprised at what they saw, a fast asleep Kylee under white sheets.

 

“Damn!” Damien exclaimed. “No wonder you're so fuckin tired man.”

 

“And why you can speak our language,” the otter added as he gave Shadow an approving nod and thumbs up. “That must have been some lesson huh?” He just stared at him and started to close the door. Jaxon stuck his foot in the way and said, “Whoa, hey man we're sorry okay? We just need to talk to Ky, it's important.”

 

Shadow snarled, let go of the door and made his way to the side of the bed Kylee laid on. He kneeled next to her and woke her saying some words in a language Damien and Jaxon could not understand.

 

“What the hell is he saying?” Jaxon whispered to his friend who shrugged in response.

Kylee murmured back to him in the same language as she rolled on to her stomach. Shadow rose to his feet and came up to the two of them.

 

“She'll be down in a minuet,” he said and closed the door.

 

“Rude,” Jaxon snapped. Damien just looked at him and laughed as they strolled to the living room.

 

Ten minuets later Kylee and Shadow came into the living and took a seat on the big couch. Kylee wore a pair of girl's under roes and Shadow's white button shirt that was a bit big for her. Jaxon lay sprawled across the recliner like a cat and Damien sat on the love seat with a cup of water.

 

“This better be good, Tweak,” she yawned sitting between Shadow's legs as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

 

“It is,” he said setting his cup by a lamp that was on a small table to his right. “Gigit, go get the thing.”

 

“Why do I have to get it?” he complained closing his eyes.

 

“Cause I said so,” Kylee hissed. “Now go!”

 

Jaxon groaned getting to his feet and headed for Damien's jeep that sat in the driveway. “Fuckin slave driver,” he said under his breath. “Get the thing,” he mocked in a tone more like Damien's. “I'll get the fuckin thing alright.” He disappeared into the sunlight then reappeared with a metal sphere in his hands. It had a camera lens on the face of it and an antenna sticking out the top. “Here,” he snapped tossing the object at Damien.

He caught it and growled at him as he laid back on the recliner. Kylee and Shadow both raised a brow as he held it out to them turning it about so they could see the entire surface.

 

“What is it?” she asked taking hold of it herself. It was quite heavy and the size of a basketball.

 

“It's a recon probe,” he said plainly, as he sipped at his water.

 

“So what's the big deal?” Shadow asked taking a hold of it himself and turning it about.

 

“Look at the name stamped by the lens.” He and Kylee squinted at the area the lens was and saw the initials “G.U.N.” Shadow's eye twitched and he looked up at Damien. “There are three more in my jeep,” he stated taking the probe back. “Spooky found them combing the desert a few miles outside the city; took us a while to get them all.”

 

“But what are they doing around here?” Kylee asked as a concerned look developed on her face. “This is a long ass way from Station Square.”

 

“Spooky guesses they're lookin' for him,” Jaxon chimed in as he pointed blindly to Shadow. “She says they might think he survived his free fall so they're scouting every possible location of where he might be.”

 

“Oh no!” Kylee cried holding her hands to her mouth. “If they find this place who knows what could happen.”

 

“They're lookin' for me not you guys,” Shadow stated squeezing Kylee's waist.

 

“Hey man, you don't get it,” the echidna said placing the probe on the floor, “if they find the city all hell will break loose. Almost a third of the shit that built this place was stolen and the city is crawlin' with ex-crooks.”

 

“No, you don't get it! I know how G.U.N. operates. If they find out I'm here they'll kill all of you and as many people as necessary to make sure that no one knows anything. That's far worse than being arrested and sent to prison.” Kylee looked up at him but he didn't acknowledge it as he stared at Damien.

 

“Lucky for us Spooky is setting up the net,” Jaxon announced getting to his feet and for the first time with a serious look on his face.

 

“What net?” Shadow asked looking to him.

 

“It's a jammer system that sends out a signal up to a ten mile radius around the city,” Kylee told him as she rose to her feet. “It scrambles any computer that comes in contact with it. The only flaw is that it doesn't have a satellite to cover the air.”

 

“That's not a problem anymore,” Damien mentioned scratching his ear. “Once Spooky finishes setting up the net she's gunna contact a few friends and hack every satellite that starts to hover over us.”

 

“How can you be sure that all this'll work?” Shadow asked cold-heartedly as he stood up staring at the carpeted floor.

 

“Shadow, it's going to work cause it worked before and until Jose gets back we don't do anything else,” Kylee said with a hint of worry in her voice. He huffed and walked out of the room and to the backyard. Kylee went to follow him but Jaxon stopped him with a troubled look on his face.

 

“Let him go Ky,” he said in a warm voice. “He needs some time to think about all this. Hell, I'm not sure if it'll work either.”

 

“Spooky says there was a hacker on the inside trying to track her down while she deleted recon files,” Damien stated picking up the probe in one hand. “All we need is enough time to figure out what to do next. Hopefully by then ya brutha'll be back.”

 

“And what if Shadow's right and it all blows up in our faces? What then?” she asked almost in tears. “I have a family to think about. We all do. My little brothers mean the world to me and I promised my mutha I'd look out for them.”

 

“We promise nuthin'll happen to them Ky,” Jaxon said hugging her as she started to tremble.

 

“Then what are we gunna do when they get through the valley?”

 

Jaxon looked up at Damien who had a hard look on his face. “We'll run,” he answered. “It's all we can do against an army.” Enrique and Marcus wondered into the living room yawning and rubbing their eyes.

 

“What's goin' on?” Enrique asked still a bit sleepy. Kylee ran over to her brothers and hugged them both tightly crying with her head low.

 

“What's wrong,” Marcus yawned. “Why you cryin' Ky?” They looked up at the older two's faces.

 

“I swear I'll never let anyone hurt you,” she sobbed kissing them both.

 

“I don't get it,” Enrique declared looking between Damien and Jaxon's face. “What happened?”

 

Jaxon looked to the floor snarling and left for the backyard leaving everyone stunned by this. He marched up to the picnic table Shadow sat on facing the Shadow Gates and wrenched him around by his shoulder. He pulled back his arm and punched him off the table.

 

Shadow growled shaking off the punch and jumped to his feet pulling Jaxon up to him by his black shirt. “WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM?!” he howled tightening his grip on the shirt.

 

“YOU ARE!” he barked pushing him away.

 

“What?!” Shadow's eyes almost softened with confusion.

 

“You heard me!” he brushed him off his shirt. “Ky is in there fuckin' cryin' because of you my friend.”

 

Shadow's heart skipped a beat at these words. “Why?”

 

“Cause you're actin' just like her old man! She knows it. I know it. Everyone fucking knows it and the last thing we need is you goin' out and doin' somethin that'll get you killed just to protect her. She doesn't need that man! She doesn't need one more person she loves walkin outta her life just like her mom and dad!”

 

Shadow turned away and said, “I don't know what the fuck you're talkin about.”

 

“Listen man,” Jaxon snarled pulling him around to look at his face. “I may be crazy but I am not fuckin stupid! I know what ya fuckin thinkin' about doin.”

 

“Is that so,” he snapped walking closer to the fence.

 

“She won't let you go. Now matter how much you think it's goin' to save her and everyone else here she wont let you go. With each friend and family member that up and leaves or dies a piece of her heart gets ripped out.”

 

“She'll forget about me,” he said looking at the grass.

 

“You don't get it!” he yelled shutting his eyes as tears started to swell in them. “She hasn't been this happy in years. If you go, it'll kill her. None of us can stand to see her that way again. How would you feel if someone you cared about dropped out of your life day after day, week after fuckin week? Bet you don't know a damn thing about that do you?”

 

“You know nothing of my past,” he argued clinching his fist. “I lost my very first love, a man that was like a father to me and twenty close friends in a single night, so don't you tell me I don't know what it's like!” he yelled glaring at him. His eyes were a blaze with the horrific memory of the massacre on ARK.

 

“Shadow,” Kylee sniffed as she held her hands over her mouth again. Tears streamed down her face and the expression she wore cut straight through his heart like a knife. Enrique and Marcus were behind their sister's legs and looking out at him from the doorway.

 

“Hey guys,” Dragon said cheerily as he pushed open the gate to the yard. “What's goin… on?” He looked at the faces of his friends. “Uh, is somethin wrong?”

 

“Call up every friend you've got with a comp or a car,” Damien said stepping out into the yard.

 

“Why?” he asked adjusting the backpack on his shoulder.

 

“We got work to do.” He tossed the probe to him and he caught it stepping back a bit.

 

“What the hell is this?!” he stammered looking over its physical properties.

 

 

Less than two hours later a caravan of cars and trucks sat outside an old brick house at the very end of the street Kylee lived on. Among the cars was a cop car and a dump truck. The owners were all gathered in the back fence of the house. They were all taking over the possibilities of why they were called together. Ami bounded out of her house followed by the gang, previously at Kylee's house with the exception of Enrique and Marcus, Angel and her brother, and Paco.

 

“It's much appreciated that all you guys made it here,” she yelled over the crowd while walking over to stand on a picnic table. “We have a very big problem and we need as much help as we can get. The Overlander military is currently searching the area for our speedy little friend here.” She motioned towards Shadow who had his arms wrapped around Kylee. “We all know the problem with outsiders like the army and any other big groups is. I think that with your help we can hold them off outside the valley long enough to come up with a plan.”

 

“So what do we have to do?” the officer asked removing his hat.

 

“I'm gettin' there so hold ya horses!” she snapped. “What we need to do is set the net back up. It's the only chance we've got of holding `em off. Now all the stuff for it is locked away in the old warehouse on 8th street. We need Renaldo and Officer Derrick to get all of that out before anyone knows it's gone and bring it to Quake. There everyone will grab a piece of equipment and set up at the spots designated on the outskirts of the city. Me and a few friends of mine will tell all yall how to put the shit together.”

 

“So when do you want us to move out?” a gray wolf asked from the back.

 

Ami looked to Damien and the others then back to the crowd, “Tonight! Jose isn't here to baby-sit us. We're on our own.” She jumped down and went to stand with the group. “I hope this works or else we're sunk.”

 

“We all do,” Angel said looking to Kylee and Shadow then Ami again. “Derrick and Renaldo can't pull off the snatch on their own though.”

 

“What do ya mean?” Antonio said watching the crowd disperses.

 

“How funny is it gunna look for a bunch of cops on patrol to see a bunch of dump trucks rollin' out of town in the middle of the night?” his sister asked.

 

“I'm on it,” Damien announced and he walked to stand on the table. He whistled and everyone heading for his or her car came back. “Can I have you're attention please.” He waited for everyone to settle into a place. “When Renaldo and the trucks move out we need some hands to keep the cops busy. I want every street racer in town to be on those streets at eight. We have to keep those guys away from the trucks until everything is finished. No room for mistakes. If they start followin' one, I want you to stop `em. Block off the whole damn street if you have to. They can't know anything cause they won't understand the situation.” He glanced at Antonio who nodded and he faced the group again. “Antonio and I will sneak into the court house and grab the keys.”

 

“What!” Angel shrieked. “No way in hell my little brother is goin' to risk his neck.”

 

“It's the only way,” Antonio argued shaking his head.

 

“No it's not! Get someone else to fuckin' do it!” she yelled folding her arms.

 

“If I can't go then who is?”

 

“I am,” Shadow spoke up staring at Damien. “I'm the only one here fast enough to get in and get out without getting caught. Just give me what I need to get the keys.” Jaxon looked at him then Kylee who was paying very much attention to what was being said.

 

“Okay then,” Damien said clapping his hands together. “We have speed demons, a crooked cop, and kleptomaniacs for trash men. Sounds like a gangsta movie to me. Let's move out and the chase begins at eight and don't you forget it.”

 

The mass dispersed and the group of teens sat out in the yard exasperated. From no where came Ami's laptop as she sat down on the picnic table and typed away furiously. She called Angel, Damien, and Kylee over. Shadow stood against a fence watching Kylee when Jaxon came to stand next to him. He too let his gaze rest on Kylee, his eyes out of his norm, stern and almost on fire.

 

Shadow looked to him puzzled but the otter did not turn to him. “If you break her heart,” he began hands balling into fists, “I will kill you.” The black hedgehog narrowed piercing reds at the blonde and turned back to Kylee.

 

 

WOW! Such problems! I almost feel sorry for these people and JAXON IS CRAZY! But then again I'm writing this out so I'm not sorry (evil laugh) gawd I love my work. REVIEW!