AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello! Okay, here's my new story! Anyway, this story has been bugging me for a while. I feel like this isn't the best story I've written, but I've been wanting to post it for a while, so I'm going to anyway. If you like it, hooray! If you don't, oh well, I don't care, you don't have to read it. So, I hope you enjoy my story. Here it is!

Miles "Tails" Prower ran quickly, dodging people as he made his way down the busy sidewalk of New Mobotropolis's Main Street. He thought of how easy crowd dodging would have been for him seven or eight years previously, before he had hit his pubescent growth spurt and was a lot smaller than the people on the street. He thought about flying over the crowd, also, but then he remembered he was trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible, if such a thing was possible for a two-tailed fox.

Tails heard the wireless headset in his ear start to ring. He ducked out of the crowd and into a nearby alleyway, tapping the button on the headset to answer the incoming call.

"Hello?" he answered into the microphone that reached down from his ear to his muzzle.

"Yo, Mi', I got 'im on the run," his friend sounded like he was running and was slightly out of breath. "I headed him up a fire escape. Now he's building-jumping. I'm trying to keep up, but he's a freaking lynx. He's a good jumper. Can you head him off?"

"I'll try," replied Tails. "Where is he? Is he still on Main?"

"Yeah, on your side, too," said the voice in his ear. "He's a couple buildings down from me. Around your area, I think. I know he's on the roof of that big, brick building." Tails' eyes darted to the wall in front of him, seeing the red bricks. His gaze made its way up the building, spotting the edge of the roof four stories higher. Now it was time to fly.

"I got him," said Tails shortly, bending down into a crouch. Then he sprang back up, launching into the air, whirling his twin-tails behind him. The fluffy appendages propelled him up the building in no time. He was ascending up to the rooftop just in time to catch the lynx he was looking for as he made a jump from the roof of the brick building. Tails caught him by surprise and aimed an uppercut to the feline's stomach. The force of the punch threw the lynx backwards onto the rooftop.

"OOF!" The lynx landed on the rooftop with a loud THUD as Tails landed on the edge in front of him.

"Wow, Lightning, I thought you would be able to get away quicker," remarked Tails.

"C'mon, just let me go," pleaded the lynx in a strained voice as he tried to catch the breath that had been knocked out of him upon his sharp impact with the ground under him. "Please, just leave me out of your little crusade against all criminals, for now. I'm in danger-"

"I know," interrupted Tails plainly. "You should learn not to steal money from psychotic, rich people."

"Please, he's after me," Lightning repeated the plea in hopes of appealing to the fox's merciful side. "Maybe you could help me, even. He's got my team and he's gonna kill them. I need to rescue them, please-"

"Why would I help you?" Tails cut him off again, crossing his arms across his chest and giving the lynx a cold look.

"Because you're the hero kid," said Lightning somewhat desperately. "You help people who need it. Look, me and my friends may not be very close to innocent, but do we really deserve to die?"

"You knew what you were getting into by stealing that money," said Tails with a cold tone to match his look. "And if you didn't, it's your fault for not doing enough research."

"So, that's it?" asked Lightning, getting to his feet and cocking an eyebrow at the fox. "You're just gonna send me to prison where that guy's prison minions can finish me off? You can just send me to my death like that?" Tails' expression didn't waver one bit as he looked the lynx in the eye and nodded coldly. "Oh, c'mon, please. Just think, what would Sonic do?" The cold look on Tails' face was emphasized by a sharp, icy glint that appeared in his sapphire eyes at the mention of the heroic hedgehog's name. Then the fox cracked a small smile, though, to the lynx, it only made Tails look more malicious.

"Sonic and I haven't spoken for over two years," stated Tails, his manic smile fading gradually as he finished the sentence. "Me and him aren't very good friends anymore, so, if you're going to argue your case to me, bringing him into the argument will only succeed at pissing me off."

"Oh, good, you caught him," Lightning and Tails both looked to the door to the stairwell in the middle of the rooftop, seeing a red-orange-furred fox walking towards the pair, holding a pair of zip-ties in his hand. "Okay, c'mere, you stupid lynx."

"Fine," said an angry lynx, thrusting his hands out in front of Tails. "When I'm killed in prison, my blood will be on your hands, fox-freak." Tails smiled evilly at the lynx again.

"Who said anything about prison?" asked Tails with a malicious tone as the darker fox intertwined the zip-ties and put them around the lynx's outstretched wrists. Lightning cocked another eyebrow at Tails in confusion.

"Then what are you gonna do with me?" he asked nervously.

"Well, I'm not sure if you know, but the man you stole from put a price on your head," said Tails plainly. Lightning's face fell at the sound of this. "Me and my friend, here, are here to collect. He's offering fifteen thousand for you."

"You guys are bounty hunters?" asked Lightning with a quick double take between the fox that was restraining him and the fox that was standing in front of him.

"Yep," replied Tails' friend shortly.

"Well, then how about I offer you the money me and the rest of the Foursome got from the theft," suggested Lightning. "I swear; no one has to know. We got thirty thousand. I'll pay you twenty if you let me go and I'll pay you all of it if you help me save my team." Tails laughed aloud at the offer.

"Don't try to lie to me, Lightning," said Tails, still chuckling slightly. "I know you guys only got ten grand."

"Oh, well, who needs fifteen grand?" asked Lightning desperately. "Ten thousand seems like it's enough."

"Yeah, but we can't have a reputation for letting targets pay us off," replied Tails. He turned his attention to the second fox. "Can you take him for the delivery, Brad?"

"Sure, no prob, Mi'," replied the fox, taking Lightning by his shoulder and leading the lynx to the stairwell.

"Well, forget sending me to prison to die!" exclaimed Lightning loudly. "You're sending me right to the chopping block!"

"Hey, now is a good time to shut up," warned Brad, pulling a gun out of the back of his jeans and jamming it into the lynx's ribs. Tails watched as Brad and Lightning disappeared into the stairwell, shutting the door behind them. Then Tails leaned back on his heels and jumped backwards off the edge of the building.

Tails leaned back in the recliner chair in his living room. He pulled the lever on the side of the chair and the footrest popped up from under the chair. He took the bottle of beer he had gotten out of the fridge and popped the cap off as he turned on the large plasma screen on the wall opposite him. He was about to take a sip of the drink in his hand when he was interrupted by the front door of his apartment opening down the hallway in the wall to his right.

"Well, Lightning Lynx is now in someone else's hands," announced Brad as he entered the living room holding a beer in his hands. He sat down on the sofa next to Tails' recliner and laid back against the armrest, popping the cap off of his bottle and taking a sip. "And we are fifteen grand richer, Mi'."

"Nice," said Tails, taking a sip of his beer. "Hey, do you think Lightning was telling the truth about the rich guy killing them?"

"Who knows," said Brad with a shrug. "But, y'know, it was their fault for stealing from him in the first place. We just did a job, it's not like we were the ones who actually killed them."

"Yeah, but I still feel kinda guilty," replied Tails quietly. "They were thieves and thugs, but they didn't deserve to die."

"Yeah, I guess, but who's to say that he actually killed them?" said Brad, taking another sip. "Look, let's just enjoy the fact that we just made a lot of money and toast to a job well done." He raised his bottle above his head and put it in front of Tails, who smiled and tapped his own bottle against Brad's.

"Okay, fine," said Tails as he took a sip of his beer. "Now, maybe we can get you outta my place."

"Sounds like a plan," said Brad. "We may have enough money now."

"We definitely have enough money," said Tails.

"Well, we can go apartment hunting tomorrow," said Brad. Tails was about to reply when a news bulletin came on the TV, stealing the attention of both foxes.

"And to start today's news," began the brown-furred mouse anchorwoman on the screen. "The hero of Mobius has made a royal proposal. Today, Sonic the Hedgehog has asked for Princess Sally's hand in marriage. He asked her at-"

"UGH!" exclaimed Brad in clear annoyance with the news flash. "Okay, what was he on the news last week for? I think it was some kind of commemoration or something."

"Hey, he's not that bad a guy," said Tails, taking another swig of beer.

"Well, I'm just saying, my first impression of him wasn't all that great, remember?" replied Brad.

"Well, that's because I was angry when I told you about that fight we had," said Tails. "And it's not like I was completely innocent. I also said some pretty nasty stuff to him and I started the fight in the first place."

"Yeah, but it's one thing to get pissed at a guy and rip on his girlfriend," said Brad. "It's another to ridicule someone for something that they're born with."

"Well, I wouldn't say 'ridicule'," replied Tails somewhat awkwardly, looking down at his chest.

"I believe the words you told me about were 'Shut up, you two-tailed, mutant freak of nature'," retorted Brad coolly. "Sounds like ridicule to me."

"I also said some things about Sally first that I don't even wanna repeat," said Tails. "I sorta deserved what I got." Brad opened his mouth to argue back when he was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and closing. The two foxes watched the dark hallway in the right wall as they heard footsteps coming toward them. A few seconds later, an orange-furred vixen, stepped into the room. She was wearing a pair of navy blue skinny jeans, a pair of sneakers, and a small, black, zip-up jacket over a tight, white T-shirt. Her short-cut, auburn hair dangled slightly in front of her face as she eyed the pair of foxes, smiling and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Hey, Cassie," greeted Tails with a smile. "Go get yourself a beer and you can enjoy the celebration of a job well done with us. A job which couldn't have been done without you."

"And a job which I've come to collect for," replied Cassie shortly. "I believe three grand would be a good price."

"Three grand!" exclaimed Brad, almost spitting up the beer in his mouth. "What?"

"That's a totally fair price," argued Cassie. "I told you exactly where Lightning was hiding, right down to his hotel room number. You never would have found him without me."

"Three grand's fair, Brad, let it go," said Tails with a dismissive wave.

"Thank you, Miles," said Cassie, taking a seat on the couch next to Brad's feet. "So, what were you guys doing before I came in?"

"Hedgehog bashing," said Brad, laying his head down on the armrest.

"He was hedgehog bashing," said Tails quickly. "I was trying to navigate away from the subject."

"Okay, so, if the fight wasn't as big as I thought it was," said Brad, picking up the argument again. "Why didn't you ever go and patch things up with Sonic?"

"I-" Tails stopped abruptly. He had no idea why he never went back to clear the air. He knew he had thought about it, but he never really had gotten around to doing it. "I don't know. I really don't know why I never went to fix things." He looked up at Cassie and Brad. "Maybe that's what I should do. It's been two years; he's getting married, why not?"

"Good idea," agreed Cassie happily. "But maybe you can let it wait until tomorrow morning. Tonight, I have a job for you guys that has to be jumped on now. It's a biggie, guys."

"How big?" asked Brad, his ears perking up interestedly as he sat up on the couch.

"Fifty-grand big," said Cassie with a clever smile. "Guy named Jack Lane has a fifty grand price on his head and I know exactly where he is."

"Where is he?" asked Tails quickly.

"Crown Hotel, downtown," said Cassie. "Room number 1023."

"Who's looking for him?" asked Brad as he stood up from the couch and stretched his arms out.

"Mammoth Mogul," said Cassie shortly.

"Why is Mammoth Mogul shelling out fifty large for someone?" asked Tails as he stood up.

"How should I know?" asked Cassie. "All I know is there's a guy hiding in the Crown Hotel who you guys could very easily catch and make fifty grand off of. Do we need to know more?"

"No we do not," answered Brad as he made for the door, followed by the other two. "Thank you, Cass."

"Thank me by paying me!" replied Cassie shortly.

Tails waited patiently in the lobby of the Crown Hotel, lurking in a deserted corner to keep out of other people's attention and pretending to talk on his phone to keep people from wondering why a strange fox was hiding away in a corner of the lobby in the first place. He leaned against the wall and pretended to listen to the phone as he looked at his reflection in the golden, reflective wall in front of him. He wondered what Sonic would think when he saw him when he went to reconcile with him tomorrow afternoon. He had changed a lot in the two years since he'd last seen his childhood hero and best friend.

Since he had left Sonic, he had started wearing normal clothes, like the light blue jeans, the white T-shirt, and the black hoody he was wearing now. He had also received a couple marks from the bounty hunting lifestyle he'd adopted. There was a small scar running from his cheek to his chin from a knife-wielding bail jumper who he'd encountered on one of the first bounty hunts he'd gone on. There was also a small, but noticeable, nick in his left ear from an armed fugitive he'd chased down a couple months previously. On top of all that, Tails could also see a small, light brown goatee starting to form on his chin. He wondered if, had the twin tails not been there to give him away, Sonic would even recognize him.

"Hey, Mi'," Tails turned to see Brad coming towards him from the elevator on the opposite side of the room. He pointed to the door and started toward it. Tails pretended to hang up his phone and followed after his friend, walking through the rotating door that was the front entrance of the hotel. He followed Brad to the alley beside the hotel. Brad stopped at the entrance of the alley and turned to Tails, leaning against the alley's wall coolly.

"So, what are we up against?" asked Tails curiously.

"Two big dudes at the door," answered Brad shortly. "That's it. He's not being very conspicuous about where he's hiding."

"Yeah," agreed Tails thoughtfully. "How easily do you think we could take them down?"

"Pretty easily," said Brad. "Maybe not totally easily, but it won't be a problem."

"They armed?" asked Tails curiously.

"Not that I could see," answered Brad with a shrug. "So, let's just take them down before they can pull their guns."

"But Jack probably is," said Tails.

"That's why we have these," said Brad in a cocky tone as he pulled a black pistol out of the back of his pants. "Two guns are better than one."

"But that doesn't mean he won't shoot," said Tails. "He knows he's being hunted which means he knows that Mogul wants him alive-"

"And we both know that if Mogul wants him dead, he'd ask bounty hunters to do it," argued Brad impatiently.

"We can't be sure of that," argued Tails quickly. "There are several reasons why Mogul would want him alive and still kill him when he got him. I'm just saying that it's not a good idea to go in, guns blazing, on a man who thinks he's already dead. That little factoid makes him more trigger happy than normal."

"Okay, what do you suggest we do, then?" asked Brad, crossing his arms in annoyance.

"Did the two big guys see you?" asked Tails.

"Yeah, I needed a close look at them, so I had Cass talk me down the hallway on the phone," said Brad. "Walked right past them. They're not suspicious of me, but they did see me."

"Okay, let me think," said Tails quietly.

"Hey, why is it that whenever I ask Cassie to help me with a phone distraction that she always picks conversational topics that are so boring?" asked Brad, ignoring his friend's subtle request for silence. "I mean, she knows I don't care about shoes and clothes and stuff like that, so why does she always make me talk about it with her?"

"To bug you," said Tails simply with a chuckle. "Alright, we need to find a bellhop."

Fifteen minutes later, Tails was walking down the hotel's tenth floor hallway in a stolen bellhop's uniform, pushing a room service cart in front of him. He saw the two, big guards that Brad had talked about as he turned down the hallway where Jack was staying.

Tails came up to the two guards, who watched him like a pair of hungry hawks. The fox did his best to twist his two tails together to make them look like one, singular appendage, but he didn't know how successful he was. He guessed he was convincingly successful, since the two guards didn't stop him. At least, not in the way he thought they would.

"Hold it," said the one on the left in a deep voice, holding his shovel-sized hand up in front of Tails. "We didn't receive word about the boss ordering any food."

"W- well, all I know is that I got a card from the manager telling me the order and the room number, s- sir," said Tails with a slight stammer to sell the intimidated-bellhop cover.

"Okay, hold on," said the man on the left in a voice that sounded exactly like his partners. Tails wondered if they were all trained somewhere to speak that deeply. The man knocked on the door that they were guarding and waited. Shortly afterward, it opened to reveal a short, tan-skinned man with a 5-o'-clock shadow and black, slicked-back hair, wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts.

"What is i-" he stopped short as he saw Tails standing with the room service cart. Tails was trying his best to look scared. Now he just had to construct a fake argument that would give Brad enough time to slip out from under the blanket that covered the bottom shelf of the cart and into the room unnoticed.

"This guy's here with your food," said the bodyguard on the right.

"My food?" he said absentmindedly as he looked Tails over. Then he smiled somewhat nastily and crossed his arms. "Oh, right, my food." Immediately, several alarm bells went off in Tails' head. He knew very well that this man hadn't ordered food. He and Brad had been made. Now they would just have to think on their feet. "Well, alright. Took you long enough. Now come on in and serve it to me."

"Oh, I don't think I should," replied Tails somewhat nervously, this time for real. "I have a whole bunch more orders to deliver. Best not to keep them waiting."

"Nonsense, I paid for room service, not just food," said the man with a somewhat evil smile. Then the smile immediately turned into a frown. "Now come in and serve me my food." Tails knew there was no getting away. It was either take the man and the two guards out here in a getaway attempt or take the man in the room and keep the prize.

"Y- yes, s- sir," said Tails quietly, pushing the cart into the room after the man went back in. He closed the door behind him and found a dark hotel room inside. Half the lights were off, there were clothes strewn about the floor, and take-out containers piled on the counter in the room's small kitchen.

"Sorry about the mess," he said quietly. He led Tails into the main area silently before turning back towards the door. "I'll just be a minute. I was going to draw a bath when you came in." He took a left into the bathroom. Tails heard the sound of loud, running water right after he heard the soft sound of a fluttering blanket by his feet. He looked to his left and saw Brad with a gun held at the ready by his ear. The fox gave Tails a warning look, putting a finger to his mouth as he disappeared into one of the shadowy corners of the room.

Tails turned his attention back to the bathroom as the man came out dressed in only a white bathrobe, now. He was smiling pleasantly at the fox, though the smile seemed somewhat unnerving to Tails. He had his hands stuffed into the pockets of the robe, pockets more than big enough to hold a small firearm, Tails noticed. He rocked back and forth on his feet slightly as he watched Tails for a moment, as if thinking of what his next move should be.

"So, mister...?" Tails gave the man a questioning look, even though he already knew the man's name.

"Jack," replied Jack casually. "Jack Lane." He smiled more widely now, revealing a row of dull, white teeth. "Now, don't you have a job to do?"

"Right," said Tails quietly as he picked a random dish off of the cart. "Where would you like me to serve the food?"

"Right there on the table," Jack pointed to a small table by the couch in the corner of the room. Tails took the dish and set it down on the table, pulling the metal cover off of the dish and turning around to find the barrel of a gun pointed barely a foot away from his nose.

"Um, s- s- sir?" Tails asked, feigning more of a stammer now, due in part to the fact that the gun actually made him quite apprehensive, though he just embellished on that feeling to try and maintain the bellhop cover.

"Shut up," ordered Jack sternly. "You can tell your friend to come out now." He pointed his available thumb over his shoulder at the dark corner that Brad was hiding in.

"Fine," said Tails with an annoyed sigh, dropping the act and putting his hands up. "Brad! You can come out now." Immediately, Brad emerged from the dim shadows of the room with his hands up, gun pointed towards the ceiling.

"Give," said Jack shortly, holding his available hand out to Brad. Brad deposited the gun in Jack's hand and walked over to Tails' side, crossing his arms and glaring at the human opposite him and his partner. Jack shot back the same glare and held the second gun on Brad. "Okay, now you guys are gonna tell me who you are and I won't blow your heads off. Maybe."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Alright, there it is! How'd you like it? I hoped you liked it. If you don't, then I may very well cry... Actually, no, I won't. So, if you're waiting for an update, then you won't have to wait very long. I've got the next few chapters already written and the next few chapters after that all outlined. Kinda. Anyway, hope you liked it. Favorite, alert, review, tell your friends, and always remember that every one out of ten career hermits you meet are allergic to gold fish. Seeya!