Episode 17-4: New Season, Old Problems

So I was in a company building formally held by a bank called Financials Pocket. They transferred to a new building, leaving their old one up for purchase. That explains why nobody was inside, the perfect place for those goons to hide out and build their little funhouse.

I'm next to a neighborhood, the buildings looking a little short in budget, possibly a ghetto. I remember this place, I had a friend that used to live here when I was a child. It takes a couple of houses, but I find one that has a car parked near the sidewalk. I'm sure if I stopped and explained why I needed their car, they'd understand, or not. They'll be more likely to throw me into an asylum with me rambling on about naked, crazy chameleons. Using better judgment, I hot-wire the car and peel out down a main road.

Without my phone, there's no way for me to get a hold of Clyde. I better check his apartment for a starting point. That's across town from here.

I pull up to the complex and casually stroll through the grounds. It's a little hard to look inconspicuous when my shoulder and arm are bandaged up with bloodstains. The number 212 rests on Clyde's door, and before I put my hand on the knob, I press my ear to the door and listen for a moment. I hear combined noise, maybe the T.V. was left on. I don't bother knocking, I twist the knob and walk in quickly.

"Clyde? It's me, are you here?" No answer. I see his T.V. on, and all the furniture in place. I don't think there was a scuffle here; he must've left before they showed up at his door.

"Troy?" A familiar, gruff voice calls out. "I'm in my bedroom!"

Holy cheese! He stayed here?

I practically gallop through his living room and round the corner to see him sitting on his bed, his door wide open.

"Oh thank the divines you're safe," I tell him. I was expecting a smile or his cute little smirk he likes to do, but he just stays stone-faced.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I must've scrambled my signal just in time, they don't seem to know where I live." His voice is full of his usual emotion, but I can tell he doesn't mean what he says.

"That's pure luck. Guess they're not as smart as they thought. I bet they didn't plan on me getting out of their funhouse."

Clyde laughs, and twitches his ears; his left ear twice, and his right ear once. Oh boy, we're talking in code now. That means that he's not alone, the assailants are right next to him, and I should go for the gun behind the curtain in the living room and not enter his room.

"Hey Clyde," I say, walking backward, "I'm gonna barricade your door just in case, won't take long. Promise."

I turn around and begin a quick walk back to the living room, but I don't even get out of the hallway yet before something scaly and strong clenches my throat, strangling me and catching me off guard. A Chameleon appears in front of me, letting me know that I ran straight into his hand.

"No chance, little fox," he growls, lifting me up in the air with no effort.

I choke and gag, but I manage to spit out, "You must be the strong one."

He throws me to Clyde, and I skid along his carpeted floor and end up at his feet.

Clyde stands up and bares his teeth at the Chameleon. "Don't you fuckin' touch him again!"

"Down, Fido," another voice says behind us. Two more Chameleons appear standing next to the bed, one of them brandishing a gun. Clyde ignores them, keeping his eyes trained on the one who threw me.

"Neat trick," I say, "where's the last one?"

One more chameleon appears behind the big one down the hall. "How did you get off of the cross?"

"I changed my religion."

He hisses at me, showing his tiny but sharp-looking teeth. "No matter, we're all here now. You two have proven twice that our methods are too slow for an effective kill. This time we won't waste a second."

"Yeah?" Clyde says, "Well we won't go down easy."

I stand up. "Hope you're ready to go through a lot of trouble for a couple of trophies."

Like a war cry, the big one shrieks loudly and starts charging at us. Clyde takes his charge head-on, stopping him completely and tossing him to the side with a kick to follow. I jump up and swing my leg, aiming for the gun of one of the chameleons behind us. He catches my foot and swings me with it, splatting me on the wall.

The big one and the other lizard begin to gang up on Clyde. I see a scaly knee coming for my head, and I move just in time to watch it put a hole in the wall. I grab the underside of the leg and throw it up, forcing my attacker to almost do a full split before falling on his back, letting go of his gun. Clyde's room is tiny, and a brawl with this many people is difficult to keep up with. I rush to Clyde to get the smaller one off of him, first a shoulder tackle to stumble him, then a leaping dive kick to follow up.

Clyde wrestles with the big one, both locked in a test of strength as they try to push each other's hands back. The Chameleon suddenly lets Clyde win, pulling him towards him and sinking his teeth into Clyde's neck. He screams as the teeth continue to chomp repeatedly, making his gray fur turn red. I try to intervene, but I'm pulled back and thrown on the floor by the other two who begin to simultaneously beat down on me.

Clyde breaks free and punches Mr. Teeth right in his nose, a cracking sound as loud as gunfire. One gets distracted by the noise, and I kick him off of me. The other throws another fist at me, but I grab his arm and flip my body into a twisting motion, taking him with me and slamming him into the floor. I grab him by an arm and a leg and silently pray that I'm stronger than I look. I manage to pick him up over my head and throw him at the wall, knocking him out and breaking an arm in the process.

"Holy crap! Did you see that?" I shout.

I feel a pull on my tail, and I go sliding across the floor and flung to a window. It breaks and I go through, landing harshly on the concrete and shattered glass. I lose my breath, unable to get up again. I only listen to the sounds of Clyde crying out in a desperate attempt to find more energy to keep fighting.

Suddenly, a familiar "Hi-Ya!" echoes in the building. The ring leader who was watching the fight flies into the room with Clyde and the others. Not long after he hits the floor, and a silver canister gets thrown in too. Two dings ring and the room gets covered in a bright flash and a lot of blue.

I catch my breath and get up to stare through the window. The room is coated in snow and ice, and everyone, including Clyde, was frozen still. Who else but Amy Quine walks through the doorway to see her masterpiece.

"Gosh, that was really effective," she says to herself.

"Well, you came by just in time," I tell her through the window.

She seems spooked by my presence, possibly thinking I was part of her icicle art as well. "Troy, you got out just in time! Poor Clyde's gonna have to be microwaved to thaw out."

I laugh, and she laughs too, but then we both stop laughing as clicks of high heels came closer to Amy. Adams enters the room, first in awe at Clyde's small apartment bedroom's new makeover, and then scorn as she sets her eyes on me.

"Carlotta," I say, a smile as wide as I can manage, "lovely to see you so soon! We were just... chilling out." Chilling out? I deserve punishment just for that pun.

Amy looks at me with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry, Troy, she was listening in on my comms link. I couldn't stop her."

Adams crosses her arms. "Another mistake, Agent Hearth?"

My ears fall droopy. "Yes ma'am. I should've called in to let you know."

"You indeed should have. Your unit is suspended for a week. Tell that to Clyde when he thaws out."

Ouch, there goes my shopping spree. "Yes ma'am. I'm sorry."

Carlotta turns to Amy, "Call in a pickup for our chameleon friends here, and a transport for agents Hearth and Barker."

"Yes ma'am! Right on it, ma'am!" she says enthusiastically. Doesn't want to get on Adams' bad side right now, I'm guessing. Don't worry, Amy, my crimes overshadow you going over your boss's head. Lucky.

*** *** ***

Clyde sits on a table, a blanket over him and some stitches in his neck. Dr. Nivans finishes up his vital checks on Clyde's health and begins to put away his medical supplies.

"How was it, Mr. Barker?" he asks, always wanting to learn the side effects of advanced technology.

"I felt like a frozen dinner, Doc."

Obviously not satisfied with that answer, Nivans takes it as it is and leaves us in the room.

I start the conversation. "I'm glad you're okay."

"I'm glad you're okay. Even though I was frozen, I could still see Nivans treating your shoulder. That was one hell of a gash you had. What got you?"

I place my hand on the bandaged wound; properly treated thanks to Nivans. "Oh you know, a swinging ax tipped with poison. The usual stuff."

He laughs lightly but then coughs in the middle of it. That freeze must've gotten him sick. "Yeah, the usual stuff. So, are we fired again?"

"Nope, just suspended for a week."

"Damn, there goes your shopping spree."

"No kidding." I look back at the door, the doctor seems long gone. I get up from my seat and get closer to him. "You know, we never got to spend the day together like we planned."

He throws off his blanket and embraces my waist. "Yeah, funny how the life of a spy leads to so many inconveniences. I did hear that I'll be free for a whole week. What about you?"

I smile. "What a coincidence, I'm free for a whole week too!" I wrap my arms around his neck. "Wanna spend the night at my house?"

"Yes please, my place needs some time to melt before I go back."