Life After OZ Ch. 8
By Dan

*****
Location - Main Street Tunnel
*****

Cody ran as fast as he could through the dark tunnels of the train. Knowing one could pass by any second, Cody constantly ran from track to track to throw off the police’s trail. He turned backwards to see if the cops were still on his trail.

“*Whew. Lost ‘em.*” Cody breathed a sigh of relief. A light from in front of him and oncoming noise made Cody turn forward once more. A train! The operator saw the man on the tracks and pulled the horn, trying to signal Cody to move. Yet, Cody was seemingly rooted to the spot on the train’s track! The motorman honked again, but it was in vain... The train simply passed over Cody with no intention of slowing down.

*****
Location - Metro City Jail
*****

Guy was quietly meditating. Dean was simply in the corner, beginning to get very p*ssed off at the fact that Guy wouldn’t break them out. Suddenly, Guy’s eyes snapped open. Feeling a very cold chill, he got up.

“Something’s wrong...”, Guy said in a somber tone. Dean looked at Guy. He noticed Guy’s even-more-serious look, and responded.

“What is it? Is it Cody?”

“I believe so.”, Guy said, closing his eyes once more. He the started an incoherent chant in Japanese, prompting Dean to stare at him.

“Guy! This is no time to pray, man! You said there was something wrong with Cody. We-” Dean became quiet when he watched Guy’s eyes reopen. His eyes had become all-white, with a hint of bluish hue...

“Take my hand, Dean.”, Guy said in an almost commanding tone. Dean backed away.

“What the h*ll is that Bushin style you’ve been practicing, man?”, Dean said. Guy shook his head.

“It’s a power that can only be held by me. Now take my hand!”, Guy said sternly. Dean didn’t like the way Guy looked, but he knew he could trust him. He reluctantly stepped beside Guy, and took his hand.

“Concentrate.”, Guy whispered quietly. Dean looked at him once, nodded, and imitated Guy, closing his eyes as well. When he reopened them, Dean nearly doubled over. They were outside the prison!

“How the h*ll?”, came Dean’s dumbfounded reply. Guy simply smiled.

“Bushin style. It allows me to move faster than most humans, to the point where I can pretty much appear and reappear at a short distance.” Guy looked at Dean’s expression of awe. “And uh, no. I’m not going to teach you that technique. I already have somebody else in mind...”

-Editor’s Note: Brownie points if you guess who Guy’s talking about...-

“Oh.”, Dean said, still looking at Guy. His eyes returned to normal now. Guy suddenly turned in one direction. Closing his eyes once more, Guy suddenly pointed to the left of him.

“We’ll find Cody in the Main Street tunnels. Dead or alive, I don’t know...”

“Well, I sure hope it’s the latter of what you just said...”, Dean said in a solemn tone. The two quickly ran off in the direction Guy’s fist told them to go.

*****
Location - Main Street Train Station
*****

Officer Kowalski stood with Warden Ferguson. The warden carried an incredulous look as the policeman explained their actions while chasing Cody.

“We can’t find him sir. We honestly believe he was hit by a train.”, the police officer said.

“That’s bull. I know he must be hiding. He threw you idiots off the trail.”, Warden Ferguson said. Making his way into tunnel, he was stopped by several other officers.

“I know what I’m doing. Let me through.”, the warden said. The police refused to budge. Warden Ferguson turned to Officer Kowalski.

“Tell them to let me pass!”, the warden said, beginning to get peeved. Kowalski simply shook his head no.

“Can’t be done. You’re not authorized to go through the tunnels. If you do so, it’ll be counted as an illegal activity.”

“I’ll take my chances”, the warden said coolly. He pushed his way past several of the officers into the tunnel. Officer Kowalski’s troop all looked at him.

“Aren’t we gonna’ stop him or something? It’s our hides if something happens to him...”, one of his top officers said. Kowalski simply shrugged.

“Like he said, I’ll take my chances.’, Officer Kowalski said.

*****
Location - Main Street Tunnel
*****

The warden made his way through the tunnel. He had told his “posse” to stay put in the jeep, so if Cody was found on the streets, they could chase him down. He pulled out his shotgun as he made his way on the small platform used for workers to get by without walking on the tracks.

“*Certainly musty in here.*”, the warden thought, holding back a sneeze. He continued his journey with limited sight distance. He soon saw a side corridor, pale light emanating from an unknown source...

“*They say curiosity killed the cat. Well, if you’ve got a shotgun...*”, the warden thought to himself. He was only about ten feet from the source... He began to slow down. Suddenly, the light flickered out!

“What the...?”, the warden said to himself quietly. He looked to his immediate left as a rat scurried past him, making squeaking noises.

“*Hm. That rat came from in there! I just bet...*”

The warden tiptoed Elmer Fudd-style to the open corridor hall. peering around it, he put his back to the grimy wall. He then shifted into the corridor and looked down the long hall...

“Nothing?”, the warden said. He thought to himself as he looked behind himself, expecting a surprise attack. He looked underneath him for a possible sewer grating, but nothing... Suddenly it hit him! The warden quickly looked up, but was too late! Cody dropped on him from above! Punching the warden twice, Cody quickly and effectively knocked him out cold.

“Not so tough now, are you, Ferguson?”, Cody said with a chuckle. Dusting off his hands, Cody dragged the warden down the long corridor. Taking his shotgun, Cody threw it on the traintracks. As he peered out the corridor, Cody realized he had to stay running... He wasted no time. Cody fled on foot as fast as he could in the opposite direction of Main Street station.

*****
Location - Next Station: City Hall
*****

Guy and Dean looked around in the train station, making sure they weren’t being followed. When they affirmed they weren’t, the duo made their way into the tunnel heading toward Main Street station.

“Are you sure he’s gonna’ be here?”, Dean said coughing because of the dirt and grime in the tunnel.

“My Bushin instincts tell me he’s going to show up here, so he’s going to be here. Trust me.”, Guy said, not bothering to turn in Dean’s direction. Suddenly, Guy put a hand behind him to stop Dean.

“What’s wrong now?”, Dean said.

“Shh! I hear footsteps...”, Guy said. The two fighters waited to see who it was. Sure enough, Guy’s Bushin instincts didn’t fail him. Cody was running straight towards them, looking behind his shoulder as if being chased. As soon as he turned forward, Cody skidded to a stop.

“What the f***?”, Cody said, blinking his eyes as if not believing what he was seeing. Dean just looked at Cody with a stern look. Then he spoke.

“D*mn, Cody, you’re all f***ed up.”, Dean said, breaking into a boyish smirk. Cody smiled.

“Well, you know me. I’m from the wrong side of the tracks.”, Cody said, pointing to the train’s track for emphasis. The two fighters gave each other a pound, then a hug of friendship and mutual respect. Guy looked at Cody and smiled also.

“Good to see you again, Cody.”

“Likewise, o’ Bushin master.”, Cody said going into a mock bow of respect. All three laughed only but for a moment. All three then got serious.

“So what do we do now?”, Dean said.

“Yeah. As fun as it has been, I’m getting tired of being shot at and chased. I like it much better when it was the bad guys doing all that stuff.”, Cody said. Both he and Dean turned to Guy for advice, seeing that they all were pretty much wanted criminals now. Guy wore his usual thoughtful expression, but even he came up with nothing.

“So what are we going to do? We can’t just sit here like, um, sitting ducks!”, Dean said. Cody told him to pipe down.

“We’ll come up with something... But until then, we should hide here for now.”, Cody said. Guy nodded, agreeing with him. Dean looked at both.

“But it f***ing STINKS down here!”, he said in a whiny voice, which really wasn’t his style. Cody grabbed Dean in a headlock and pulled him along, protesting all the way.

*****
Location - City Hall
*****

“I don’t usually ask these favors, but I must. It involves several close personal friends of mine, one of whom has been in a long-standing relationship with my daughter. I’m not asking for anyone to accept a bribe, but I’m sure you all remember Cody’s heroics years back. And while it’s true my task force worked outside legal limits, I ask you appoint the “Final Fight” task force as an actual anti-crime unit for Metro City. I also need to know if we can investigate Warden Ferguson’s action regarding Cody. What he’s doing I believe is illegal, and I would hope to maybe have investigators investigate his actions as well as Cody’s. Can that be done?”

The other members of City Hall’s council all looked at each other and began talking to each other. Mike Haggar was at the podium alongside his daughter Jessica and Lucia. After his lengthy speech, the head of council spoke.

“This is our final decision regarding the subject councilman Mike Haggar just spoke on. We believe that Cody has committed certain crimes that are irrepressible. However, we feel since he has committed and dedicated himself to cleaning up Metro City, we will graciously honor your favor of integrating Cody and “Final Fight” as a part of the Metro City crime fighting unit. Also, we will grant your request for a special investigation on Warden Ferguson. It seems as if his list of misdemeanors and crimes are growing by the second. However, we will appoint two persons of our choice to investigate this situation. Is that okay?”

“Yes sir.”, Haggar said.

“Then it’s settled. Cody is to no longer be tracked down by the police force of Metro City. However, if he is to be caught by Warden Ferguson, he will have to be charged appropriately for his actions. Council dismissed.”, the head councilman said, banging his gavel. Jessica hugged her father and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“I knew this would turn out okay, I just knew it!”, Jessica said happily. Lucia nodded. Haggar didn’t smile much.

“It’s not over yet. In doing this, my fate is most likely sealed in terms of re-election.”, Haggar said downcast. Jessica looked at her father.

“What do you mean?”

“Well”, Haggar started, “Look at it this way. If the press gets a hold of this while I’m running for mayor again, I’ll never get enough votes to keep my seat in City Hall. I might still be able to be a politician and have my seat on the bench here at council, but that’s it. That’s all I’ll ever be.”

“That’s rough.” Lucia said quietly. Haggar only looked down for a second.

“It’s all right, though. I owe Cody that much. After all, he saved my daughter.”, Haggar said with a smile. Jessica smiled as well. The trio made their way out of City Hall and back home to the Haggar Estate. Hopefully, things would turn out for the better now...