Your body, your life (Eddsworld fanfic)

Tom - Return of Red Leader

It took him a while to find out where that stupid Red Army base was. Not just because Tord didn't own a car, but also because it was hard getting the coordinates to a hideout that was supposed to be secret. He was only saved when he realized Tord was trying to take over the world with an army. If he needed absolute control or whatever, he needed to know where his soldiers were at all times. Sure enough, he was able to find a tracking app on Tord's phone meant to spy on his little group of terrorists. It was almost too easy. Tord was arrogant and that was his downfall.

Tom didn't expect things to go smoothly. Even if Tord kept a distance from his soldiers, he would know some personal stuff about them. Names, motivation, skills... he would need to be sneaky. As he laid out the plan in his head, he searched for money and weapons. He didn't necessarily like guns when harpoons were much more effective, but he needed some way to get there without being arrested.

Tord had a lot smaller collection of guns then he expected, but the number of bullets he kept was immense. Probably because it was harder to hide a shotgun in your hoodie pockets. When he got everything he needed, he used Tord's phone to call a taxi.

He pulled the hood of Tord's black hoodie over his head as he stepped out of the door and leaned against the thick brick wall, crossing his arms. He groaned when he realised he would probably have to imitate Tord's unbearable accent. Ugh. But it couldn't be helped. If Tord could pretend to be him so easily, so could he. Although Tord would not need to try as hard as him. Matt was an idiot and Edd would hardly put two and two together when there were much better explanations for 'Tom's' behavior. Tord was just too good of a liar.

The taxi arrived shortly after and he approached it with a sigh. No turning back now. "Sit down on the backseat," the driver said in a tired voice. But Tom was too shocked to react when he saw a familiar face behind the wheel. Mark... his jerk neighbor was his taxi driver?! Since when did Mark start working as a taxi driver anyway?! He thought he was the introverted type who preferred reading, not someone who drove around strangers! Why would he start torturing himself like that just for the money? Tom would have almost felt relieved it was someone he knew if it weren't for the fact that he was currently in the body of his friend's killer. He pulled the hood even more down (which was pretty much impossible, but he tried) and silently slipped into the car. Well, shit. Now what?

"Where to?" Mark asked, glancing back at him. Tom could tell immediately was being judged. He knew he looked shady as fuck (which Tord was), but he still couldn't help but feel offended by it. It wasn't his fault Tord was a known criminal!

"Just the edge of town close to the forest," Tom muttered. He could make Mark drive even closer to the base, but he didn't want to give him the impression he was trying to kill him in the woods somewhere. No doubt it had lacrosse Mark's mind.

He could see Mark narrow his eyes in the car mirror. "Only if you pay me thirty bucks already." Of course that was the plan... if you get murdered, at least get a lot of money for it. What a great deal.

Rolling his eyes, Tom fished the money out of his hoodie and handed it to his neighbor. He wasn't worried it wouldn't be enough. He had found almost a thousand pounds hidden all around Tord's house. No taxi drive cost that much! He hoped...

Mark began driving in silence, and Tom leaned his head against the window, watching the environment pass by. It just felt weird leaving the town behind after all the years he spent here. He felt bad for not trying harder, for not trying to convince Edd and Matt of who he was. He hadn't even managed to get close to them. But Tord was just too dangerous. Who knew what he'd do once Tom told them the truth? And Tom had just been given the chance to not only pay him back as much as he wanted, but make sure his friends were all safe afterwards. He could use this.

After a while, they finally reached the edge of town. Tom was getting nervous and he began to tap his fingers on the seat. He just needed to give Mark the money and leave. If he didn't mess anything up, everything would be fine. Once Mark pulled to the side of the road, Tom was already reaching for the money. It probably looked weird that he gave Mark more money than he had asked for, but he needed to get away from him as quickly as possible. Maybe he shouldn't have thrown it right at Mark's face though.

So he got out of the car and began walking away, Mark's confused shouting soon getting quieter while he disappeared into the woods. The area was hidden, that much he could admit. Nobody would really try looking for a base here. All this time, Tord had been so close to them, plotting his takeover and shooting (probably) innocent  people like Jon...

He shook his head. "He'll get what's coming for him. I'll make sure of it..."

Suddenly, a branch in a bush next to him cracked. Without thinking, Tom aimed his robot arm at the bush while his other pulled out a gun. A figure emerged from the bush, their own gun pointing at him. They watched him silently, but he could tell they recognised him just by the arm alone. He immediately recognized their attire as the one Tord was wearing in his wanted poster. One of Tord's soldiers... it was time to pretend he was him, then.

"I'm here to return as your leader!" He announced loudly, smirking at the soldier in front of him while he used his robot arm to pull down his hood. Now it was his turn to take over.