Scarlet's Recruitment

==Overview==
An in-depth look at how Mackenzie the Tiger recruited Scarlet the Fox to become one of his allies. This is still a WIP, but I'll bet it will be finished soon. If you can, please critique it! Thank you for reading my first fanfiction on the site, and I hope that you enjoy it!
==Included Characters==
Mackenzie the Tiger
Scarlet the Fox
Scarlet's Gang (Buck, Blitz, Shirley)
Piggy, Bartender, and many more NPCs to the story
== Story ==
Mackenzie Hartley the Tiger was at his house, relaxing after a successful mission. He was reflecting on how it went, and how it could’ve gone much better. I might’ve succeeded, but dang, I should be more careful around dynamite. He found himself upside-down in the chair, looking at his flat-screen TV in Hartley Mansions, growing rather bored.
It was pretty lonely in his mansion by himself. Though he was a mercenary and got good pay, he needed to make some actual friends. Unfortunately, he was so busy, the only people he could call “buddies” were people he had to team up with to complete the job - people he’d never see again after the mission. With this thought, Mac slunk onto the floor on his back, sighing. There’s gotta be a way to get more social. I can’t just do jobs for a living!
Mac did a handstand before his feet could touch the ground and jumped onto his feet. He knew what he wanted to do - he wanted to go out there, to a bar, maybe. There was also the Blitz Pit… but people there talked with their fists. Station Square was far too crowded, and he wasn’t going to go to Dr. Eggman’s to entertain himself.
Man oh man - I am bored.
________________________________________________________
Scarlet June the Fox was running from police, dashing into an alley with her allies. The cops were right on their trail - they’d stolen a mistaken Chaos Emerald from a jewelry store, and the authorities thought that they’d taken a mere diamond. Nonetheless, they chased after the thugs.
Scarlet jumped on the walls, using momentum to get higher and higher before landing on the rooftop of a shop to avoid justice. Then came the rest of the gang - Buck the Raccoon, the power of the team, Shirley the Echidna, the superstar turned villain, and Blitz the Cheetah, someone who was just as new as she was. The four were all close to each other, and were used to being chased down by cops - they just needed to escape.
“Scarlet, how in the world did you talk us into stealing an Emerald?! They're going to kill us when they find us, and then mail our limbs all around the world so nobody'll ever put us back together!” Blitz cyan eyes were reflecting her courage back at her, and his yellow-and-brown-fur was starting to get frazzled.
His brother Buck finally caught up as the gang jumped to another rooftop. The two were siblings, which wasn’t hard to guess considering their fur colors and eye colors were nearly identical (though they themselves didn’t look the same, being two different species). “Don’t sweat it, Blitz. The cops haven’t ever caught us before - what makes you think they will now?”
Shirley chimed into their conversation, her pink dreadlocks hitting Scarlet, who was right behind her, square in the face. “I can’t believe we’re in this much trouble. The amount of drama occupying this moment - it makes me ecstatic!”
“How can you be so happy when we’re going to get thrown in jail?!”
“We’re not going to prison, ya wimp!”
“Ooh… brother drama. The insults are just-”
“WILL YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP?!” They group had out-jumped the authorities - now they were simply leaping on buildings to get attention. Everyone stopped where they were, and dread came upon their faces as they looked to Scarlet’s ticked-off glare, her very being exploding with madness. “You guys are acting like mindless brats, I swear! No dignity at all! How am I supposed to survive with people who can’t frickin’ run when people are chasing them?!”
Blitz peeped out with fear, and Shirley nearly dropped dead. Buck facepalmed at the duo’s incompetence and turned to Scarlet. “June, cool your jets. You know Blitz’s a scaredy-cat-”
“That’s racist,” Blitz interrupted.
“-and that Shirley can be a pain. But hey, everything will be fine. And I know we can be unbearable - sorry if we’re not as experienced as someone who joined the group two years ago, but you’ll have to deal with it.” Scarlet groaned when he finished, her anger calmed to sheer annoyance. Buck rolled his eyes. “Hey, look at it this way. Even if you’re annoyed to death, our love will resurrect you.”
Scarlet sighed at how miserable of a statement that was before tensing her legs and preparing to jump off the building they were currently on. “Heh. If you didn’t exist, Buck, I would’ve gone insane by now.” 
As a group, they all leaped onto the sidewalk.
________________________________________________________
Mac was taking out with car for a drive. He realized that fun doesn’t slap you square in the face - you have to have it. And to have something, you must get something, and to get something, you must work.
That was the part that Mac hated.
In anime, what always happened was that some poor kid with average everything gets some sort of special ability and finds out he has to save the world. Mac liked shows like that - one where the normals become abnormals. However, here he was, in real life, having special powers but not having anything to do with them. He could go on a rampage on Trikon City with his killer lightning, but nooo, he doesn’t, and not a single person thanks him for it.
Mac sighed as he drove into the parking lot of a bar called Buns & Brawls, a place that would give you above-adequate level food and let you watch sports and/or wrestling. He thought about buying the place, but realized he didn’t want one of his favorite hang-out place Mac-ified, as cool as that sounded.
And with that thought, he walked inside.
'''
Many people greeted him - he was a regular here, and always liked to chat it up with people he’d just met. However, being well-known was both a blessing and a curse - when everyone knows that you go on life-threatening jobs for a living, not many Mobians want to hang at your place.
Mac walked to the bartender who was seemingly a noob to the job. She looked like a hawk with grey feathers - she certainly was a type of bird. “Hello, miss,” Mac said nonchalantly. He wasn’t in the mood to flirt - he just wanted a drink, a conversation, and a way to keep himself busy. “How are you doing today?”
“Didsplen, thank you,” she replied, looking embarrassed but trying to keep her cool. “What would you like today at B&B?”
Man, the way she’s speaking, you’d think she practiced this since the wheel was created... that is, if the wheel was created five seconds ago. “I’d like a Rosewell Raspberry along with some bread and butter, thank you very much.” Mac didn’t need to ask himself if that was what he wanted - it was his favorite combo. 
The bartender shouted his order done, and he went to take a seat next to an unexpectedly pink pig. “Oh, well, isn’t this peculiar. Are you Mackenzie Hartley?”
Mac mentally rolled his eyes - he was really bored of this routine. “No, actually, I am the duchess of Canduken, a land far away from this world. I’ve come to escape from my power-hungry fiance, who also happens to be my-”
“Yep, that’s you. I can tell from the intense sarcasm.”
“Thanks for noticing.” Mac put his headphones on his ears high up on his head, held his music player in his head, and started listening to some catchy jams as he waited for his food.
'''
About six minutes later, he was picking up his food on a tray, and sat down next to the pig once again. The TV was screening a match in the Blitz Pit - a fox against a bat. 
Mac chuckled as he said “I’m betting on the bat.”
“Well, whoever you’re betting with is going to be a very rich person.” It didn’t take long for Mac to realize what Piggy had just said. Did he just… disagree with him?
“As if. The fox relies on power to defeat her opponent, but the bat is skilled with feints. It doesn’t take a long time to figure out who’s gonna be defeated by who - trust me, this is from someone who is experienced in battle.”
“Power and strength pretty much decides the battle, though,” the pig replied, not going down without a fight. “When Clark is running out of feints to use and trips up, Tala the Fox is gonna smash him into the ground without second thought.”
The two continued to argue, and, as fate would have, it, the bat got cocky and messed up, allowing the fox to throw him out of the ring. Even though they technically weren’t betting, Mac took ten bucks out of his jacket pockets and left it on the table. He was stuffed. 
“That’s for you, Piggy,” he said before leaving. He was now satisfied with his day - he went on a successful mission, he watched some good TV, and hung out at a place where he always had a good time. It was great-
Mac’s thoughts were interrupted when four people - a fox, a raccoon, a cheetah, and an echidna - were running on the streets, a red jewel in the fox’s arms. Mac was struck with a strong energy, and sensed a large output of Chaos Energy coming from the jewel. They had… a Chaos Emerald?!
Even though he was weaponless, he wasn’t going to let some supervillain wannabes get away with something so valuable. He bolted to the raccoon and chopped him in the back of the neck with extreme force, causing the runaway to fall forward on his face. The other three were looking quite scared now, but the fox’s face turned into one of anger as she threw what happen to be a bomb at Mac’s face. Catching it by surprise, it exploded in his face with a puff of smoke - apparently, it was nothing more than a smoke bomb. Mac clapped to clear all of the smoke, but when he could finally see again, the trio and the raccoon had already left. Mac tried to sense their (or at least the Emerald’s) energy signatures, but he got nothing in response - people had seen the scene and were starting to fill up the area, so the signals were jumbled.
Mac sighed and realized that he was going to have live his life knowing he let some thugs escape with a frickin’ Chaos Emerald. He walked to the parking lot and prepared to get his car.
________________________________________________________
Scarlet, Blitz, and Shirley (who was dragging Buck) were dashing into the streets and running for dear life. They’d never seen anyone that strong - his power was surprising and blew them away. He managed to take out Buck in a single blow (albeit using pressure points, probably, but still)! 
Shirley hoisted Buck onto her shoulders once they were out of sight. They were all resting with their hands on their knees and breathing heavily. Scarlet was the first to speak. “That went…. horribly.”
Blitz was next, his voice trembling with fear. “How did he even - that’s impossible! No way - why would - my brother is dead!”
Scarlet shook her head. “Hold… your horses…. Blitz. Let Shirley check for a pulse." She glanced towards Shirley, who did as she was indirectly asked. 
Shirley, knowing what Scarlet had just requested of her, placed her palms out to feel a hint of a life force. However, seeing as she was still inexperienced with her ability, she simply put her hand on Buck’s limp body. “There’s something there,” Shirley informed the two. “He’s alive, but obviously hurt.” Shirley sighed before looking at the Emerald they'd gotten. "Also, that's a fake. I can sense its signatures - those aren't real. They're powerful, but they're not Chaos."
Scarlet was angry and wanted to explode, but instead, she sighed. “We just need a place to rest for the night - then we can sell the jewel, because it's still a jewel, and get on with our lives.” Everyone agreed with this statement, but they were all so tired of running, they just sat down.    
For a few minutes, it seemed like everyone was just planning to take a nap - there was complete silence, and no one dared to speak. There was an air of fear that was zooming around, and though everyone tried, no one could ignore the tense feeling that was around them.
Knowing it’d be best to directly confront the issue instead of hiding from it, Scarlet made an attempt to break the ice. “....Guys, I’m really sorry. Like, I’m really sorry. I knew that we were going to get the Emerald, and I didn’t think about how much I was putting us all in danger.”
Shirley interrupted the fox, trying to not have Scarlet lead herself into a time of despair. “No, Scarlet, don’t place this on-”
“Don’t try to lie to me to make me feel better, Shirley. I’ve been placing us in dangerous situations ever since the gang started to split, and I think it’s time for you guys to move on.” Scarlet sighed, knowing she was doing the right thing but not believing she was about to say what she was about to say. “I’m going to leave you guys alone. For your sakes, I’m leaving the gang.”
Blitz and Shirley’s faces looked horrified as Scarlet finished her statement. This time, it was Blitz who made the decision to speak. “C’mon, Scarlet, you’re trying to carry too much weight! The only reason we’re not in jail right now is because you’ve been with us!”
“And the reason why we are where we are now, what with a knocked out teammate and such, is the bitter truth - I’ve been dangering you guys since I started taking charge, and I’m subconsciously manipulating you all to get my way.” Scarlet sighed once again. You guys aren’t going to get me to change my decision. Just… take care of Buck, okay?”
Blitz and Shirley didn’t approve of Scarlet’s decision in the slightest sense, but they understood that Scarlet was too stubborn to change it. Nodding at each other, they started to carry Buck’s body.
“Bye, Scarlet,” said Shirley, depressed.
“Aloha. You guys can sell the fake and live productive lives. I’ll just do what I do best.” And with that, Scarlet disappeared into a random corridor.  
________________________________________________________
A few days after the collision with the thieves, Mac was lying in his bed, bored once again. There was only so much to do, and after all of that was done, there was nothing left. 
Mac had been playing around with a yo-yo, played an addicting game on his phone, and tried on new outfits, but he found himself without any priorities. Mac knew he was living the high life, but it was not nearly as fun as rich people made it look.
As if to wake him up, Mac’s phone started ringing on the tiger’s yellow bed at just that instant. Mac, excited because he rarely got non-job calls, picked it up, only to see that it was a man named “Kaji Kibih” calling him. Curious about this KK character, Mac put his phone to his ear.
Yellow?
Good morning, Mister Mackenzie. I assume you are Mackenzie Hartley, right?
No, I’m actually Bagpipe Yolo, Mackenzie’s uncle’s fourth wife’s sister’s father-in-law’s fifth cousin, thrice removed.
...Was that a joke?
No kidding, duh. Now, what the hell are you calling me for? I’m going under the assumption you don’t wanna chat over coffee. 
Seeing as you don’t know who I am, I shall reveal my identity to you. I am Kaji Kibih-
Hey, that’s Hibiki Jak backwards! That’s really cool.
-And I am a local bank owner whose business is failing, not because of business cuts or a matter related to that, but because I am a constant victim of theft. Seeing as how you’ve got quite the reputation around Trikon, is there a chance that you could protect the bank for just today, scaring off the guilty? Believe me - you will be compensated for.
Hmm… sounds like a good deal. When can I start?
Today, actually. And if all goes well, you’ll probably not have to deal with me again.
Coolio! Lemme get there ASAP, ‘kay?
Though this was not the most exciting news Mac was expecting, he was still happy he had something to do. Knowing that Kaji wanted him there as soon as he had the opportunity, Mac rushed into his room to get dressed.
'''
Mac was driving to the bank on his motorcycle at three o’clock sharp, hoping that Kaji wouldn’t be angered at him getting there in the afternoon. After all, what was a job compared to a smoothie, a street fight, and another smoothie?
Mac parked his bike into the parking lot before putting on black shades. He wanted to seem as intimidating as possible - then, the criminals wouldn’t have to take a second look to know that they were in deep poo-poo.
For the most part, all Mac did was glare at edgy teenagers who walked by or gangs who were trying to look scary. Mac didn’t get to do a lot, but he tripped someone who looked suspicious (what with the crazed look, the gun, and the orange jumpsuit) while whistling, making for a very above-adequate day.
However, the especially high point was when Mac saw someone rushing out of the bank, someone who looked awfully familiar. He saw security chasing after WYNI (Mac’s term for strangers - Whatever Your Name Is, also known as Whiny), who was holding a bunch of money, but the stranger took them out with a couple of punches to the sweets spots (as Mac liked to call them) while they were tired.
Mac, knowing he wasn’t going to get paid if he didn’t stop this intruder, casually walked to them. Just to show off, Mac closed his eyes, allowing the stranger to move the first move. Mac sensed the stranger’s energy signatures to catch their kick before grabbing their leg, twirling them around and hitting their body on the bank’s wall, effectively damaging them.
Mac opened his eyes and was about to smirk before he thought his senses were deceiving him. Now that he got a good look at the girl, he could really make better decisions. She was a red-furred fox with light-orange hair that went a little below her shoulders, and she was wearing a yellow tank-top along with dirty jean shorts. Better yet, she was over-18 looking, which opened up a world of possibilities.
Trying to play it cool, Mac finally spoke to the intruder. “Hey, dude, what’s your name?”
The girl was visibly surprised by his question, but realizing this was her way out of trouble, she answered it. “Scarlet June the Fox, whoever you are.”
Mac blinked twice, surprised that the girl didn’t recognize him, but he tried to hide his surprise and attempted to look as if he hadn’t been totally caught with his pants down. “I’m kinda shocked you dunno who I am. I’m only, like a rich mercenary whose competence far exceeds everyone’s expectations. Next question - why are you stealing from this place?”
“Well… I just recently ditched my group after putting them in a deathly situation. Now, I’m just trying to help myself get back on track with a normal life by stealing until I can make a large enough amount of cash to live a steady life.”
Mac blinked thrice this time, feeling kinda bad for the fox. Aw, man, that crap is full-on depressing. The worst part is that I can’t really understand where she is coming from at all. “Well, Scarlet, how old are you?”
“Ninetee-”
“Well, then, that settles it! You’re going to be introduced to an extravagant way of living with me, Mackenzie Hartley! I’m not gonna let you look all droopy with your broke self again, ‘cause I’m gonna treat ya right!”
Scarlet was once again surprised, and not knowing Mac’s actual motives to just get someone to talk to, she was quite confused. “...Right now?”
“After the job.” And the whole ordeal was settled, something that'd change their lives forever.Category:Fanfiction
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