At The End Of The Tunnel

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At The End Of The Tunnel

Co-Written By Harley Quinn hyenaholic and Froggy22651

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Froggy: Four out of five? Is that all?!

Harley: Yeah, Tails, I know you! I wrote about you in UB2! Didn’t you try to kill me when it ended?

Froggy: Uh, Harley… I think it’s a pseudonym.

Harley: Well if it isn’t Tails, I don’t have the faintest idea who it is. It’s not like the little guy’s short of people who want to screw him. Wait, aren't you that guy from sonicstadium? The one called Tails Prower?

~~~

Chapter Thirteen: In Training

James looked over at Breech, remembering her reaction to Curtis quite easily. Her mouth had been opening and closing as if she was having trouble comprehending the idea, and finally she had stepped forward.

“Um, Lord Robotnik… I’d be happier working with someone else – not Cur or Stone. Maybe Nack? Or Crash and Burn? You see-“

“Yes, Royal Guards make you nervous, don’t they?”

“Something like that…” Breech squirmed.

“Oh, come now, Loader…” Robotnik leant forward, “It’s not like you have a choice.”

“But-“

“YOU DON’T HAVE A CHOICE, LOADER!!! HOW ELSE CAN I MAKE IT CLEAR TO YOU?!”

~~~

James watched Curtis Mortimer Farlis sit back lazily as the train started moving, his hands behind his head. His entire posture revealed that he was calm and confident. Sitting opposite him, he was unsure of what to say. He’d thought the blond fox had been dead for years, but somehow he’d survived the coup.

“So, Prower, why did you join Robotnik?”

James blinked. Curtis remembered who he was, thankfully. That made things a little easier, "...That depends. What was your reason?"

Curtis smirked lazily, "To pick up chicks," he laughed, and caught James’ glance, "No, seriously, to bring down the forces of evil."

James relaxed slightly, feeling more comfortable, "Well, that's good to know. I thought you died during the coup, Curtis... I’m glad to see that I was wrong."

"I'm glad too," Curtis chuckled, "Yeah... I never figured you for a double agent though."

James shrugged, "It wasn't something I planned. I just sort of stumbled into it."

"Yeah, Lady Luck has a big hand in these things... though I couldn't help hearing..." Curtis’ expression became malicious suddenly, "That you were on a team that assassinated King Max."

James swallowed, his ears tilting backwards slightly, "I didn't mean for it to happen. I would never betray our kingdom; you know that... I just couldn’t stop Breech in time."

"Oh, so you were partnered up with Breech before now, hmm?" Curtis watched Breech intently, who was sitting a little way away from them, staring out the window. She looked up at the mention of her name, and shrank away from them, "Yeah... figures. Robotnik likes to switch partners around occasionally. Keeps them on their toes."

James raised an eyebrow, noticing how Breech reacted to the other guardsman, "Have you two worked together before?"

Curtis smiled broadly, "Oh, yes, we're old friends now. In fact... Breech practically introduced me to the Robotnik Empire, didn't you, Breech?" his smile vanished suddenly.

Breech swallowed, "Yes... yes, something like that."

"Really?" James looked into Breech's eyes for... something. Whatever it was, he didn’t see it, "She never told me that."

"Well, you haven't known her very long... I expect in time, you'll get to know her through and through, just like I did," Curtis smiled again.

Breech stood up and walked away, a sneer on her face. One Royal Guard was bad enough. But two of those smug, arrogant jerks were simply unbearable.

James narrowed his eyes for a moment and then returned his attention to Curtis, "Do you know if there were any other surviving guardsmen?"

"A few... most of them entered when they were captured after the coup. We're trying to bring down Robotnik, but it's tough - the best we’ve been able to do so far is leak some information to Knothole. But now that you’re here…”

James nodded, a glimmer of hope in his eyes, "I was afraid that I was the last... What do you know about this cult that we are being sent to spy on?"

Curtis shrugged, "Not much. They call themselves the Cult of Darkness. They're searching for some ancient artefacts they call the Chaos Emeralds. Robotnik is manipulating them by saying that he believes in their dark god."

James raised an eyebrow, "Chaos Emeralds? What the hell are those?"

Curtis blinked, "Oh, yeah... Well, I’m not sure myself, but from what I’ve learnt, I’d say that those Chaos Emeralds are some kind of massive power source. The Cultists want them to resurrect their god. Robotnik wants them to power his more, shall we say, destructive machines.”

James rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "And he also believes they exist..."

Curtis nodded, "I think the main excavation site the Cultists are working on provides some sort of proof to their claims, but I'm not sure how."

James sighed, "Well, I guess we are about to find out."

~~~

Later, further down the train, Breech was loading the weapons, recalibrating and cleaning them calmly. Until a voice whispered in her ear, "Hello again, Breechy."

Breech gasped and dropped the sniper rifle she’d been checking, "Cur!" she turned, "I... I said what you wanted me to say... right?"

Cur chuckled and sat down in the seat in front of her, "Yeah, you did alright. Although..." he leant forward, his eyes locking with hers, "I'm curious as to why he is here in the first place. Why haven’t you stabbed him in the back already?"

Breech shrank away from him, "He... he presented me with the opportunity to get away. So I took it."

Cur’s smile disappeared from his face, "Oh, is that so? Well, unfortunately for you, Prower hasn't got the foggiest idea of what he has stumbled into. He isn't getting himself out, much less you."

Breech shrank away again, "If I told him-"

Cur suddenly leapt forward, shoving her back against the seat, "Told him what? How gullible he is? What a stupid idiot he is? I'm sure that would go down quite well."

"No... he'd listen... he'd understand..." But Breech didn't sound too convinced herself. She tried to pull out of Cur's grip.

He just shoved her harder against the seat, gripping her throat with one hand, "You are not going anywhere. And James isn't going to learn shit from you, is that understood?"

Breech could barely breathe, let alone speak, Cur’s grip on her throat was so tight. But she managed to nod a ‘yes’.

Cur smirked, "Good girl."

He paused, then began moving his paws over her chest roughly, suddenly gripping a pawful of flesh and squeezing hard. Breech squealed in pain and tried to pull away from him, but it was impossible. In desperation, she grabbed a shotgun and tried to hit him with the barrel. Angered, Cur pulled away growling, and slapped her sharply across the face. She cried out in shock and fear as he drew back his fist for another punch…

"Guardsman Farlis, may I enquire into just what it is that you are doing?"

Breech gasped and looked at James, who stood in the entrance to the car, his desert eagle hanging limply in one hand.

Curtis chuckled nervously and climbed off Breech, "Nothing, nothing... She was coming onto me a little too strong, so I had to push her away. You know how chicks act around me..."

James nodded slowly and holstered his gun, "Riiiight. Well, maybe you two should stop fooling around and prepare for the mission?"

Curtis grinned and straightened up, "Heh. I was born prepared."

James nodded, "Well, that's good and all, but I don't think Breech is. Let's leave her alone to clean and load weapons."

Breech relaxed slightly as Curtis moved away from her again, but her paws were still shaking, "I'd almost finished anyway," she muttered. But she shrank away again as Cur looked back at her venomously.

James reached back into the car, grabbed Cur's arms, and yanked him along behind him, "Let's go, Curtis,” he growled. Once they were out of the car, he turned and glared, "What exactly did you think you were doing, Farlis?"

"I told you, she was coming on to me," Curtis insisted.

James nodded sceptically, "Uh huh. Yeah, after keeping her distance from you since the moment we started this mission. I'm not as stupid as I look, you know."

Curtis writhed under James' stare, "So she's attractive. So what? She's not exactly helpless - you should have realised that by now."

"Yeah, I know that. Listen, I know things have been a little informal since the coup, but we are still guardsmen, and we still have standards to uphold," James loaded and cocked his gun, "You will keep your dick sheathed during the remainder of the mission, got it?"

Curtis growled, "I can't believe you think I'd want to bed down a traitor," he muttered, unwilling to give James a straight answer.

"It wouldn't be the first time you let your urges get in the way of your job, Mr Heartthrob. I don't know exactly what went on in there. But it isn't happening again. I don't mean to rag on you, Curtis; you're a damn good guardsman. But you need to know when to fool around, and when to get serious. We've got a job to do, and I expect the best out of you."

Curtis shuddered, "Yes, Captain," he snarled.

~~~

Later, James re-entered Breech’s car, where she was sitting facing the door, staring down at a Glock 9mm as she fixed a silencer onto it.

"...Are you alright, Breech?" he asked her.

Breech looked up with a gasp, levelling the gun at him, and then relaxed slightly when she saw who it was, "Oh, it's just you."

"Yeah, it’s just me. Watch where you point that thing..."

"Sorry," Breech put the gun down.

James looked out the window, “We’re entering the desert now,” he commented, sticking his head out the window into the hot air, “We’ll be there in a couple of hours.”

“I wouldn’t stick my head so far out that window if I were you,” Breech warned him. James pulled back just in time, before they were suddenly going through a dark tunnel. The end of his desert eagle had simply snapped off.

“That cliff broke my gun,” he said, quietly.

“Luckily it wasn’t your neck,” Breech said rather more cheerfully, as the train left the tunnel again. She tossed him the other desert eagle, “Here.”

James relaxed slightly and took a seat near her, "What happened?"

Breech stared out of the window at rocks and sand, "Nothing. Nothing happened..."

James put his paw on her shoulder carefully, "You do realise that you don’t have to lie to me, don’t you Breech?" he asked her.

Breech considered lying again, then gave up, "I... I wasn't coming on to him, if that's what you mean."

"I know," James nodded, "When he claimed that, it... didn't feel right."

Breech shuddered, and moved away from James, looking out the window, "I hate him. I hate all of you Royal Guard types, thinking you're so righteous, thinking you deserve everything, thinking you can't do wrong... and then doing it anyway."

James winced and scooted away, putting distance between them, "...Well, thanks for being so open-minded," he muttered sarcastically.

Breech scowled, "You don't know what it's like, because... you're different." She turned, "You're not a type. You're a person. Thanks... for being a person."

"You're welcome... I think." James raised an eyebrow, not sure how to take that.

"Thanks... for stopping him." Breech suddenly took James into a hug.

James paused, blinked, and then wrapped his arms around her, returning the hug, "Anytime, partner... Curtis can be a real jerk sometimes. He always has been."

Breech nuzzled up against him, "I was so scared... I thought...."

"What did you think?"

"I thought nobody would come..." Breech whispered.

"Hey... it’s me," James said quietly, smiling down at Breech gently, “Just stick with me, and everything will be ok. I promise."

“I want to believe that,” Breech continued to hug James tightly, her fingers pushing into his fur. James felt his chest dampen, and realised that she was crying, very quietly, "I want to believe that so bad..."

James had to admit that his record for making things better wasn't very good, but he stroked Breech’s back to try to comfort her, "Believe it... I'll do everything I can to make it happen that way. Hope can keep you alive. I should know."

James felt Breech smile again, and after a few long moments, she began to purr gently. He could feel her chest vibrating. Suddenly he realised that he liked the sound – it was comforting for him as well. He didn’t know why he let them stand together for so long, but it was obviously Breech who decided that they couldn’t stay that way forever.

She sighed, "I'm... I'm sorry. It's just... Cur... Curtis isn't the guy you knew. Maybe he never was. He works for Robotnik now. You can't trust him."

James shook his head, "I grew up with Curtis. Yeah, he's always been a jerk. He's confrontational, he's violent, he’s a pervert and his discipline is lacking, but I'm sure he means well."

"Before or after he hit me?" Breech asked, her voice a whisper.

James closed his eyes, "I don't know..."

Breech pulled away from James slowly, "I finished loading the guns," she said softly, and headed to the door, then paused, "I didn't want him touching me... but he did anyway. What do you think he’d have done if you hadn't come in?" she asked James, her voice shaking.

James didn't answer. He didn't want to think about it. Breech left the car, shaking slightly. James waited until the door closed and her footsteps died away. Then he slammed his fist into the wall with a snarl of hopeless frustration.

He cursed in pain and rubbed his bloodied knuckles, seeing some metal underneath. He looked away with disgust and sighed, wanting desperately to know how to help Breech. He was aware of another want too – he wanted to hold her again.

~~~

In a different car, Breech sat on a seat and sniffled again, wiping some tears from her eyes, still not sure why she'd held James for so long, or why she'd wanted to hold him for longer. She stood up and stared out of the window at the endless desert. It reminded her of her own life – bleak, futureless, and dead at heart. She pulled a bottle of absinthe out of a cabinet, "Here's to us, buddy," she toasted the harsh sands, and slugged back some of the liquid fire.

~~~

Harley: Go to Chapter Fourteen. Right bloody now!

Froggy: She means, as soon as it’s up.