by Tom Jones
Johnny initially did not say anything in response. After half a minute of silence, Arcades continued, “Don’t believe me? Do you know who else was not believed? When Jesus was preaching while He was here on Earth, the Pharisees rejected what he was saying. However, Jesus was always speaking the truth.” Johnny leaned against the wall, but he still did not say anything. He finally broke the second pause of silence by saying, “Alright, fox. Just tell me what you’re here to do. That was my first question for you. Stop trying to derail things.” The captive fox thought about what he would say to the human before speaking. He then decided it would be best to come clean, “I’m trying to get underground. I need to extract a high-value individual.” Johnny’s attention was grabbed by what the fox had just told him, “Wait... You know about that? How the…?” Johnny waited for Arcades to speak again, “Yeah. I presume that you’re one of the people working for the local syndicate around here. However, if you want to help me out, you can join my company.”
The human raised an eyebrow when he heard the last word that the fox said to him. Johnny looked away from Arcades and walked up to the window which was covered by blinds. Johnny disliked his current job, but he knew that he also needed the money. Johnny did wish that he could leave Las Vegas and work for people who had more of a moral backbone. Johnny remembered all of the things he did working for the organized crime syndicate, and he briefly shook his head in regret. Johnny opened the blinds, and he looked around at all of the neon flashing buildings of Downtown Las Vegas. What Johnny did not see was the sniper team about half a kilometer out.
“We got movement on the eighth floor. Someone just opened the blinds.” The human spotter said as he viewed the building with his rangefinder. A human sniper viewed the window with his modified Remington 700 and said, “I see it. Is that where Arcades is supposed to be?” The spotter tried taking a closer look at the room, but could only see Johnny standing by the window. The spotter remembered where Arcades was supposed to give them the signal at, “I think that’s around where he is supposed to signal us. I can’t confirm if that is his room though.” The sniper directed his attention to the spotter and asked, “How much time has elapsed since he was dropped off?” The spotter checked his watch before speaking again, “Around thirty minutes. We still have another thirty minutes left, so let’s not forget that.”
The sniper looked back at the window and then asked, “How do we know that man didn’t kill him?” The spotter shook his head and said, “We don’t. All we can do is just hope that Arcades is alright. I say don’t worry about it, though. He can fend for himself even though he does not kill anybody.” The sniper responded, “That fox’s heart is in the right place, but… I dunno. I sometimes think he can get himself killed doing that. He refuses to shoot people, and he runs a PMC. He’s our boss though. Maybe he’s trying to show us something?” The spotter was still looking through the rangefinder, “Yeah, probably. He did work his ass off in order to make Fox Security one of the more respected American Defense Companies, and we do have some pretty damn good equipment. Of course, we may not have a fraction of the manpower or resources that CDI has, but I still think that’s still an accomplishment. Quality over quantity, I guess.”
Johnny closed the blinds before turning around to face Arcades. His captive was still kneeling in front of the closet and was waiting for Johnny to say something else. Johnny finally broke the long period of silence, “What’s your company called?” Arcades smiled a bit before stating the company’s name, “Fox Security.” Johnny’s eyes opened when he heard the fox. He had heard the name Fox Security before. Johnny then asked, “Wait, is that supposed to be your company?” Arcades nodded his head to indicate a yes. Before Johnny could say anything, the fox said, “And if you help me on my mission, I’ll let you join my company. I don’t care what you’ve done in the past. As long as you’re willing to change your mind, I’ll let you work for me.”
Johnny contemplated the fox’s offer. He didn’t have anybody in the city that he was really close with. He would much rather fight for a better cause than selling anthros into slavery to a group that only called themselves ‘The Foundation’. After waiting for a moment, Johnny finally made up his mind, “Alright. I’ll help you.” A smile formed across the fox’s face and he said, “Good choice. But, I do have a question. Who are you guys supposed to tell the HVI to?” Johnny shrugged, “I don’t really know. Some guys wearing blue and black came in a few days ago. They said they were from some sort of foundation. I didn’t really pay too much attention.” After Johnny finished, Arcades asked, “When are they supposed to make the transfer?” Johnny tried to remember for a moment and then said, “I think some time later tonight. Probably before dawn.” Arcades then responded with, “Then I guess we’d better hurry. I need to get down there.” The human nodded. The fox then sat up on his knees and asked, “Can I get out of these cuffs now?” Johnny said, “Oh, right. Yeah. Hold on, I need to get the key for that.”
While Johnny was searching for his key, Arcades had already pulled out his own key, and he began to unlock the cuffs by himself. He had done this many times before. When Johnny finally pulled out the key, Arcades stood up, and he sat the handcuffs down on the desk. Johnny looked at Arcades with a face of confusion, “Hold on. How did you?” The fox smiled and said, “Not my first time wearing these. Getting out is easy for me.” Johnny then continued, “So, how long ago did you get out of those?” Arcades sat down on the bed, and he moved his tail out of the way, “I didn’t release myself until you said I could get out.” Johnny was reluctant to believe the fox, but he took his word for it. Johnny then questioned the fox further, “You've been caught by other people before?” Arcades smirked and said, “Well… Not really other people. How about we worry about that later. We need to get the HVI out.” Johnny figured that Arcades was withholding information about something, but remembered what the fox said he was there to do.
Arcades stood up, and he walked over to the drawer that was sitting next to the bed. The fox opened the drawer and said, “Ah-ha. There it is.” Johnny moved closer to see what Arcades was looking for and asked, “What are you looking for?” The fox pulled out a Multicam chest rig and laid it on the bed. He then removed a Multicam holster from the drawer and placed it on the bed next to the chest rig. Arcades removed a Ruger MK IV Tactical from the holster. The handgun featured a suppressor attached to the barrel, a Surefire tactical light attached to the lower rail, and a Trijicon red dot sight attached to the upper rail. The fox dropped the magazine, and he made sure that the handgun contained a loaded magazine before placing the magazine back into the weapon. After confirming that the weapon contained munitions, Arcades performed a function check on the flashlight and pistol sight before disabling both functions and placing the handgun back into the holster. He did not load a round into the chamber.
Johnny questioned, “You have all that stuff in here?” Arcades nodded and responded, “Yeah, an insider dropped it off in here a few hours ago.” Johnny removed the handgun from the Multicam holster and asked, “What do you plan on using this for?” Arcades responded, “I don’t plan on using it. I don’t shoot people.” Arcades removed a transceiver from the drawer, and he powered it on. Arcades stood next to the curtain with the radio and told Johnny, “I need to tell my men that I’m ready to proceed with the mission. Gimme a second, alright?” Johnny stood back as he watched the fox open the curtains and talk on the radio, “Alpha Two, this is Arcades. We have a green light on phase two of the operation. Confirm your status. Over.”
The spotter heard Arcades transmit over the radio and promptly responded, “Solid copy. We are ready for phase two. Over.” The sniper looked at the spotter, “Was that Arcades?” The spotter looked through the rangefinder and said, “See for yourself. Eighth floor, third window from the left.” The sniper noticed the dark gray fox standing near the window. “Ain’t that the same window we saw that other guy in?” The spotter looked at the rangefinder again and responded, “Huh. It d
oes look that way. Let’s ask him.” The spotter held down the PTT button on the radio and asked, “Arcades, this is Alpha Two-Two. Is there somebody else in the room with you? Over.” After a few seconds, the radio sounded again, “Alpha Two-Two, this is Arcades. That is an affirmative. We have one friendly inside. Over.” After the spotter heard this, he said, “Copy all. Out.” The spotter then spoke to the sniper, “Apparently that guy we saw earlier is a friendly.” The sniper looked away from his scope and said, “That’s interesting. Do you think that’s what took him so long?” The spotter nodded and said, “Yeah, probably. Just stay sharp incase any hostile forces leave the hotel. I’ll call them out for you.”
Arcades closed the blinds and looked at the tactical gear that was on the bed. Johnny examined the equipment and said, “Last time I went down there, their security was really tight, Apparently the buyers are going to pay a large sum of cash for that ‘HVI’ you’re trying to extract. I don’t think it would be a good idea to just walk in there with all that gear on.” Arcades turned to face Johnny and asked, “Do you know a way for me to get in there undetected?” Johnny considered his options for a moment before saying, “Yeah I do, actually.” Arcades nodded and was interested to see what the human had in mind, “Well, what’s your idea?” Johnny stepped over to the desk, and he grabbed the pair of handcuffs that Arcades left on the desk, “I bring you down there in these, and they’ll put you in the cage with the anthro you’re looking for. I’ll give you the key to the cage so you’ll be able to free yourself, and you will also be able to free the anthro you’re trying to save. Then, you collect your gear, and all three of us can escape. You have a getaway of some sort?”
Arcades answered the human’s question, “Yeah, two of my men have an armored-up SUV that’s relatively close by. When I get the HVI, I’ll call them up, and they’re supposed to come and pick us up. We also have a sniper team that’s about half a kilometer out in order to cover our escape. Then we get to the airport. We have an HH-60 waiting for us there.” Johnny nodded as he understood Arcades’ escape plan. Johnny then said, “I can bring you down there and distract the others to buy you some time. They shouldn’t know that we’re gone until it’s too late.” Arcades was liking Johnny’s plan. Arcades accepted Johnny’s idea, “Your idea sounds good. We should do it.” Johnny nodded and then asked, “How did you get out of those cuffs in the first place?” Arcades smiled as he silently took out the ZAK Tools key from his back pocket. The key had other keys hanging off of it, some were irregularly shaped. “I have the keys to almost all handcuff types here. These open all manufacturers I know of, including internationally made handcuffs.” Arcades said as he showed Johnny his key collection. Johnny chuckled, “Man, you have quite the collection there. Hey, I need to go get some stuff I have stashed in a different room. It’ll help us get down there.” Arcades then said, “Alright, I’ll wait here.”
Johnny left the room, and Arcades pocketed his keychain. The fox moved back over to the bed and examined all of the tactical gear he had laid out. Arcades took a PTT device and plugged it into the radio. He then inserted the transceiver into one of the Multicam pouches that was strapped onto the battle belt. The fox grabbed the MOLLE holster that held the suppressed Ruger and attached it onto the right side of the battle belt. To make things easier for himself, Arcades laced the wire through the MOLLE webbing in order to prevent the cords from becoming snagged or tangled. After he finished, he plugged in the PTT device into a headset. He flipped the chest rig over and made sure that he had a couple spare magazines for the Ruger despite the fact that he did not plan on shooting anybody. After confirming this, Arcades tested on the chest rig in order to make sure it was still adjusted fit him. He pulled on some straps to accomodate for his skinny body before making sure that there were no unfastened Multicam straps. Arcades felt for the dump pouch that was situated on his seven-o'clock side. He was satisfied with his setup and removed the chest rig. Right after Arcades finished, he heard the door unlock and open again.
Johnny stepped back inside and was carrying a duffel bag. Johnny moved next to the bed and sat the duffel bag on top of the bed. Arcades was going to ask of the bag’s contents, but Johnny had already unzipped it before he was able to ask the question. Johnny began to remove the contents of the bag and lay them on the bed next to Arcades’ tactical gear. Arcades watched as Johnny sat a pair of shackles on the bed, a pair of hinged handcuffs, and a fox muzzle on the bed. When Arcades noticed the fox muzzle he asked, “A fox muzzle? But why?” Johnny sighed before saying, “Look, man… They want the anthros they capture to be bound and gagged at all times.” Arcades then said, “I’m not complaining. I honestly don’t mind. I was just asking why.” Johnny waited a moment before saying, “Oh. So, if it ain’t a problem for you, I guess it should be alright. Anyways, you can put your stuff in this bag, I’ll put you in this stuff and we’ll head down there.” The fox began to load his tactical gear into the empty duffel bag and zipped the bag up once he was finished. Arcades then picked up the restraints and identified both of them as being Smith & Wesson brand restraints. Arcades was quite fond of the S&W shackles because of their oblong shape that lowered the risk of injury from being shackled. The fox sat the restraints back on the bed and said to Johnny, “You should tighten these to where you can fit your index and middle fingers inside. I don’t like it when they’re too tight. Also, make sure the keyholes are facing the same direction as my hands, so that I can remove them easier. And make sure that muzzle ain’t too tight.” Johnny acknowledged Arcades before asking, “Are you ready to start?” Arcades nodded.
Arcades turned around to face away from Johnny, and he placed his hands behind his back to allow the human to restrain him. Once again, Arcades felt the familiar sensation of metal closing around his furry wrists. Once the fox heard the ratcheting sounds cease, he felt two fingers being pushed in around his wrists. “Yeah, that feels fine,” Arcades said, “You should double-lock them; I don’t want them tightening on me when I’m escaping.” Johnny grabbed Arcades’ cuffed hands and asked, “How do I do that?” Arcades could not see the cuffs behind his back but tried to tell Johnny from memory, “There should be some pins on the side of the cuffs that you can push in with the other side of the key. Most modern models have that feature as standard. I know the Smith and Wesson ones have it for sure.” Johnny could not find what the captive fox was asking him to do.
After waiting a few more moments, Arcades asked, “Can’t find it?” Johnny replied with, “Nope. I don’t see it.” Arcades then asked, “Can I try and do it myself?” Johnny stepped back and said, “Sure, if you can reach it.” The fox stepped forwards before pushing his cuffed hands past his tail and then past his lower body. He stepped over his cuffed hands and was able to bring them in front of himself. He dropped his keychain on the floor and picked it up once he got down on his knees again. Arcades flipped the key upside down and pressed the double-lock pin down, engaging it. Johnny noticed what Arcades did, “Oh, that’s what you were looking for. Also, I have to hand it to you, you’re pretty good at still doing stuff while restrained. You spent a lot of time in those?”
Arcades paused and looked up at Johnny, “Well.. Some would consider it a good amount of time… Can you hand the me the those legcuffs?” Johnny sat the shackles in front of Arcades, and he got off of his knees in order to have his bare feet out to be cuffed. As the fox was locking his ankles in the legcuffs while already having his wrists locked together, Johnny asked, “You’re barefoot. Is there a reason for that?” Arcades continued to shackle himself while he answered, “There actually is a reason. Well… Multiple reasons. I’ll have to tell you later.” Johnny did not respond. After Arcades double-locked his shackles, he stood back up, and he moved his hands behind his back again. Once he moved his hands past his tail, he pocketed the keychain again, and he said, “Alright. I’m ready to be muzzled.” Johnny retrieved the muzzle from the bed and placed it over Arcades’ mouth. Johnny pulled the center strap, and this clampe
d down on Arcades’ mouth to prevent him from speaking. Johnny then snapped the back strap together and tightened it to fit the fox’s head. Once the human finished, he asked, “Is that too tight for you?” The captive fox shook his head to indicate a no, and then the captor asked, “I guess we’re ready to go now. By the way, if we see people on the way there, I’ll have to act like a dick to you. I’ll try my best to not rough you up too much.”
The silenced fox gave out a muffled whine, but did not protest. Johnny picked up the duffel bag, and he threw the strap around his body. The human captor then grabbed the handcuffs by the hinges with his left hand, and he opened the door with his right hand. Since nobody was in the hall, Johnny gently led Arcades down the hall towards the elevators. Arcades felt very vulnerable since he was not only in handcuffs, he was in shackles too. He was also barefoot, so such a combination made him feel completely defenseless. However, he knew he was not completely helpless, and that feeling alleviated some of the stress he was feeling.
When the two approached the elevators, one of them opened, and a couple humans exited. When they noticed the captive, the captor gave the fox a swift shove into the elevator. Johnny bluntly said, “Get in there dickface!” Arcades knocked his head on the elevator on his way in, and he produced an audible grunt as a result. When the elevator closed, Johnny inserted his keycard into a hidden slot, and he pressed a button combination. The elevator made two dings before it began to descend. As the elevator was descending, Johnny asked, “Hey, are you alright? Did that hurt you?” Arcades was leaning against the side of the elevator and let out, “Mhmm hmmm…” Johnny gently grabbed Arcades’ shoulder and said, “Look man, I’m sorry. No hard feelings, right?” Arcades stood up straight and gave an affirmative nod.